Beneficiaries: 278 children and their families
Completion date: June 2024
Country: Ghana
Executive summary
Access to water and sanitation is considered a basic human right. Many families experiencing poverty in Ghana often do not have running water or access to a safe water source. Caregivers have no choice but to fetch surface water from unsanitary sources. Untreated surface water often contains bacteria or parasites that can be especially dangerous and even life-threatening to young children and vulnerable adults.
Both rural and urban communities in Ghana often face a serious lack of access to safe, clean water sources. In the Afram Plains region, the community relies solely on water obtained from the Afram River. Water from the river is highly polluted with agricultural runoff. Fecal matter is often washed into it, creating serious safety risks for children and their families. Although there have been attempts to drill boreholes in the past, the region’s landscape has made it difficult. The water from these boreholes is usually low yield and salty and they have been abandoned. With no other option, caregivers and children are forced to get contaminated water from the Afram River. The river itself poses risks too—sadly, children from the community have drowned while trying to collect water.
The Ekye Amanfrom Pentecost Child Development Centre in the Afram Plains region currently serves 278 children and their families who do not have access to a safe water source. Centre staff purchase purification sachets to use for drinking and cooking at the centre, but caregivers cannot afford to purchase purified water. Children frequently miss their early morning lessons at school because they are fetching water from the river. Centre staff know that the situation is dire, and children’s lives continue to be at risk if they continue drinking and fetching water from the Afram River.
This intervention will provide families with access to clean water through the construction of a local water treatment facility. Three 10,000-Litre water storage tanks will be placed within the community and four hand washing sinks will be added to the centre. Children and their caregivers will receive hygiene and sanitation education to ensure the safe use of water and to promote healthy practices. With access to clean water, children and their families will be safer from diseases, improving their emotional, social and physical well-being.
Summary
Background
In rural communities and some urban areas throughout sub-Saharan Africa, hundreds of millions of people suffer from a lack of access to clean and safe water. Over the last few years, progress has been made towards greater access to safe water in Ghana. However, reports still show that 4,000 children under the age of 5 die each year from poor water and sanitation-related illnesses and 23 per cent of Ghanaian children suffer from stunting—chronic malnutrition linked to poor water and sanitation.
For families in Ghana who do not have access to safe water sources, they are at high risk of contracting illnesses such as cholera, typhoid and diarrhea. Compassion is committed to empowering children’s holistic development and improving their well-being. Providing children and their families with access to a safe, clean water source will prevent the risks of fetching water from a dangerous river and contracting deadly diseases—both of which could end in tragedy.
The need
In Ghana, our Ekye Amanfrom Pentecost Child Development Centre has identified the need for a safe water source for the families they serve in their community. The children who attend the centre are at risk of recurrent waterborne illnesses and the physical dangers of fetching water from an unsafe source. Our church partner believes that children’s lives are on the line and that they need immediate assistance to improve access to safe, clean water.
Your generous gift will provide the resources needed to build a water treatment facility, set up three community water storage tanks and access points for the surrounding community, install four hand washing stations at the Compassion centre and provide vital hygiene education to children and their caregivers. A new source of safe water coupled with sanitation and hygiene workshops will allow caregivers to provide clean drinking water to their families and practise good hygiene, preventing illness and improving childcare’s holistic development.
What your gift will do
Your gift will provide 278 children and their families in Ghana with access to a water treatment facility so they can access safe, clean water:
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Plumbing and installations
- Pumps, valves, taps, pipes, water metres, etc.
- 3 10,000-Litre polytanks
- Water quality testing
- Materials for masonry work
- Carpentry work
- Tiling materials and accessories
- Transportation
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Electrical
- Metal cable coils
- Switches and earth plate
- Boards
- Sockets and cases
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Labour
- Plumbing installations
- Electrical works
- Masons
- Tilers
- Unskilled labour
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Hygiene education training
- Honorarium for health experts
- Venue for training
- Snack for caregivers
- Monitoring and evaluation
Logistics
- Local contribution: US$2,280.69
- Handling of funds: Compassion Ghana and centre and church leaders will ensure this intervention stays within budget.
- Monitoring and follow-up: Compassion centre staff and church leaders will work with experts to ensure the water treatment facility is built according to plan. The church partner will be encouraged to plant ornamental trees or lawn around the community access points to help complement environmental stewardship. Centre staff will continue to provide safe water and hygiene education to children and families and will ensure they are practicing good hygiene.