Five communities declared “Open Defecation Free” in Fanteakwa

By Bertha badu-Agyei, GNA

Akyem-Dwenase, Feb 15, GNA - Five communities in the Fanteakwa south district have been declared open defecation free (ODF) following an intervention by World Vision to promote households’ toilets in communities

The communities are; Dwenase, Abompe, Dome, Gyampomani and Adjeikrom 

It means that over 80 percent of households in these five communities had their own toilets with hygiene facilities such as handwashing tools made with localised materials.

 Mr Christopher Teye, Fanteakwa cluster manager of the world Vision said for the past 10 years, his outfit had worked on water and sanitation improvement in the area leading to a number of hygiene interventions including; the provision of 30 boreholes in some communities, two mechanised boreholes for some schools, and two menstrual hygiene facilities for schools.

He said the promotion of the household toilets to end open defecation in the area was a two-year project involving the training of community and opinion leaders, chiefs, teachers, staff of the Environmental unit of the assembly and school children in communities to improve hygiene and supported about 38 households to construct improved toilet facilities.

Mr Teye said the project which was being funded by World Vision to the tune of about $100,000 had yielded results leading to over 1,000 households constructing toilets to end the indiscriminate defecation in the communities and 10 other communities would be worked out to achieve the ODF status soon.

He appealed to the District Assembly and the chiefs to enforce the by-laws on sanitation to complement the efforts of the project so that people would embrace the need to have decent toilet facilities.

Chief of Akyem-Dwenase, Barimah Beyeeman Gyekye Osei, thanked World Vision for their support and assured that the crusade against open defecation would continue to ensure that the remaining 20 per cent of households got their own toilets to improve on sanitation and hygiene.

GNA

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