ITAGRAD Ghana sensitises communities on coronavirus

The Integrated Action for Community Development (INTAGRAD) Ghana, in collaboration with the Wa and Nandom Municipalities in the Upper West region, is embarking on a sensitisation drive for communities on the COVID-19 pandemic.

The sensitisation activities ongoing through radio stations in the two municipalities was to educate the public on ways to protect themselves from the virus.

The sensitisation will run for one and a half months as part of their contribution to help curb the COVID-19 menace.

Mr Nurudeen Ibrahim, the WASH Advocacy and Policy Officer for INTAGRAD, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview said the NGO had acquired airtime from the radio stations for COVID-19 jingle play and for Environmental Health Officers and the Ghana Health Service in the two municipalities to educate the public on the COVID-19 protocols including proper hand washing, the use of alcohol-based hand sanitizer and the wearing of nose masks.

The Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV) and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs provided the funding support for the sensitisation programme under the Voice for Change Partnership (V4CP) programme being implemented by INTAGRAD in the Wa and Nandom Municipalities.

“We have also supported the Information Service Departments in the two municipalities to play the COVID-19 jingles in the English and Dagaare languages since some communities and individuals may not be able to be reached through the radio sensitisation.

“Some people do not have the time to be listening to the radio but when the information vans play the jingles in town, they can also get the information”, Mr Ibrahim noted.

He entreated the general public to strictly adhere to the COVID-19 safety protocols such as regular hand washing with soap under running water, avoiding crowd, wearing of nose masks among others to help prevent themselves from contracting the deadly virus.

Mr Ibrahim said plans were far advanced for INTAGRAD to also identify and support a health facility that was more in need of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) to help in the fight against the pandemic.