Rotary Club of Accra South Builds Toilets for 2 Schools

By Claude Nyarko Adams

The Rotary Club of Accra South, a member of the global Rotary International (RI) has inaugurated two toilet and sanitary facilities costing GH¢80,000 for two public schools in the Shai Osudoku District of the Greater Accra Region.

The beneficiaries, Abuvie-Kpong D/A Primary School and Manya Jorpanya D/A Basic School, were also presented with three tippy-taps to enable the staff and students wash their hands after using the facility.

The facilities formed part of the US$4 million dollar collaboration between the Rotary International and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to embark on water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) for Health Project in the country.

In all 13 districts in the Northern, Volta, Eastern, Greater Accra, Western and Central regions with 103,000 residents in 155 communities expected to benefit.

President of Rotary Club of Accra South, Fitnat Adjetey, said Rotary International and USAID were committed to supporting institutions and communities practice healthy living.

In ensuring this, she said the project was focused on providing the needed sanitation infrastructure, building the capacity of people at the local, district and national level and behaviour modification to improve basic sanitation habits.

As part of the infrastructure, she said the project includes the provision of boreholes to some communities to ensure constant source of water.

Madam Adjetey explained that the beneficiaries were selected following a needs and verification assessment in 2017.

Miss Hilda Addah, RI/USAID WASH Project Committee Chairman of Rotary Club of Accra South, noted that the project was aimed at inculcating in students and residents, healthy living attitudes and influence behavioural change towards water, sanitation and hygiene.

Within the past year, she said the club had engaged students and people of Abuvie-Kpong to sensitise them on hygiene and sanitation and bring about change in their perceptions about healthy living.

"We will like to commend the residents and the students, who according to our observations have quickly changed their sanitation and hygiene behaviours. We hope you continue to influence others to also emulate what you are doing," she added.

Mr Bernard Nyamador, headmaster of Abuvie-Kpong D/A Primary School expressed appreciation to the two organisations for the support and pledged to ensure it was used to help improve sanitation and hygiene in the community.

Chairman of School Management Committee, Banini Sogbe appealed for more support in addressing various challenges affecting the community.

Madam Adelaide Ofori, School Health Educational Programme(SHEP) Coordinator and Teacher of Manya Jorpanya Basic School, said the facility would help to end open defecation and reduce absenteeism by girls mostly due to problems with menstruation.

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