A photograph taken at the commissioning of the facility
Nearly 1000 pupils and students, teachers and other non-teaching staff of the St. Peters Roman Catholic School in the Eastern Region now have access to toilet and water facilities, thanks to the benevolence of GrowthAid, a not-for-profit non-governmental organization (NGO) and the Australian High Commission in Ghana.
GrowthAid with funding from the Australian High Commission, has provided an integrated Water and Sanitation Health (WASH) facility for the School.
The project components include a mechanised water system, a gender-friendly 8-seater toilet facility, and Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM).
This is intended to provide safely managed water, improved sanitation and hygiene education to help the school to prevent infections and improve teaching and learning in the school.
The project was handed over to the management of the school at a ceremony in Somanya on Thursday.
Executive Director of GrowthAid, Dr. Joe Lampongang while emphasizing the purpose for putting up the project underscored the need for access to an improved clean environment by all to ensure their safety.
“As an organization, our focus has always been to ensure that everyone, everywhere has access to safe, sustainable water, improved sanitation and hygiene and that no one dies from preventable diseases,” said the Executive Director, adding that the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic made this mandate even more critical.
Quoting a 2020 UNICEF and WHO special report which noted that 2 out of five children lived without a basic drinking water service in schools in sub-Saharan Africa in 2019, Dr. Joe Lampongang called for sustained efforts to ensure the provision of quality water and sanitation if Ghanaians must live with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Executive Director while acknowledging the importance of Water and Sanitation Hygiene (WASH) during the global response also called for access to WASH to effectively control the pandemic.
“Access to WASH services is essential for effective infection prevention and control in schools and a major focus of government strategies for the safe reopening and operation of schools during the ongoing global pandemic,” he said.
Third Secretary at the Australian High Commission, Hannah Crothers who represented the High Commissioner, Gregory Andrews, congratulated GrowhtAid for their significant efforts in providing communities across Ghana with access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene.
She underscored the crucial role the facilities will play in ensuring that the entire school community enjoyed a safe sanitation and environment.
She said, “This project will improve health and sanitation outcomes for the staff and almost 1000 students at St. Peters by providing safe drinking water, eight toilets, three handwashing facilities, a changing room for girls and women teachers as well as training for school health club that will provide health education throughout the year.”
According to her, the facilities aside aiding the fight against the coronavirus, will improve the teaching and learning environment of the school.
She stresses that “access to water, sanitation and hygiene facilities will improve health and sanitation outcomes, gender equality and access to education.”
MCE for Yilo Krobo, Ebenezer Tetteh Kupualor in acknowledging the “good relationship” between the Assembly and GrowthAid, expressed his gratitude to the Australian High Commissioner to Ghana and the Executive Director of GrowthAid for their immense support for the school.
According to him, the government of Ghana since the year 2000 under the government policy on toilets which mandates that all households have access to toilets, has embarked on the provision of public toilets which covers household, public and institutional toilets.
The Assembly Chief however added that much progress could not be made on this initiative due to financial constraints, adding that the partnership between the Assembly and GrowthAid has helped in the implementation of the project in the school which is one of many still under progress.
On his part, Samuel Tetteh Odjidja, Headmaster of St. Peter's Roman Catholic School though was thankful for the projects, enumerated a host challenges being faced by the school.
These included infrastructure, completion of government projects, major renovation of classroom blocks, a computer lab and drainage.
Mr. Odjidja expressed regret that the school since its establishment could not boast of a toilet facility, forcing pupils to ease themselves at a nearby refuse dump and public toilet with others risking the dangers of crossing the highway to attend to nature’s call.
The situation, he added has resulted in some of his pupils being knocked down by speeding vehicles with the very young ones soiling themselves in the process.
The school head on behalf of the School Management Committee (SMC) and the PTA, teachers and pupils expressed their profound gratitude to GrowthAid and the Australian High Commission for coming to their aid and promised to ensure the proper maintenance of the facility to ensure that it lasts long to serve its purpose.