Funding required: $54,325
This project will help: 439 children
Completion date: May 2025
Country: Ghana
Executive summary
Poor sanitation impacts all areas of a child’s development and well-being. Inadequate access to clean water and safe sanitation facilities leaves children at risk of malnutrition and contracting serious diseases, which can impact their ability to attend school and participate in activities with their peers. Poor sanitation and its related consequences impact many families living in Ghana, including many of the children Compassion’s frontline church partners serve. Two Compassion centres located at Gindabo Fountain Gate Chapel and the Assemblies of God Church in Ghana serve a total of 439 children, providing participants with educational support, nourishing meals and mentorship from caring, Christian adults. Sadly, both centres are struggling to meet the needs of the children they serve due to inadequate sanitation facilities. The current washrooms at these centres are rundown and in deplorable condition. Although centre staff have tried to maintain the facilities, they remain unsanitary. The washrooms have become a breeding ground for flies and constantly emit a strong odour. These centres also lack hand washing sinks, making it difficult for children to practise good personal hygiene. Due to the poor conditions of the existing washrooms and limited stalls available, children often prefer to find a private place to relieve themselves outdoors in tall grass or bushes. This leaves children at risk of contracting and spreading diseases such as diarrhea, typhoid fever and cholera. They also face dangers from wild animals, including venomous snakes and insects. Open defecation also affects children’s dignity. Some children do not want to use the washroom at all on program days and walk home instead, missing crucial time spent in the program. Compassion centre staff at Gindabo Fountain Gate Chapel and the Assemblies of God Church know that improved sanitation facilities are needed to best serve their registered children. With your support, new, gender-separated washrooms with 10 toilets and 4 hand washing sinks will be built at each facility. Children will have access to clean, safe and private facilities to use on program days. Your support will also provide health and hygiene training for both children and caregivers, ensuring children and their families know how to properly use the new facilities, wash their hands and practise good personal hygiene at the centre and at home.Summary
Background
Adequate sanitation is linked to socio-economic growth and development, improved health and better quality of life. A study conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2012 found that for every US$1.00 invested in sanitation, there was a return of US$5.50 shown by lower health costs, increased productivity and fewer premature deaths. Inadequate sanitation is also estimated to cause approximately 280,000 diarrhea deaths annually and is a major factor in the spread of several neglected tropical diseases, including intestinal worms, schistosomiasis and trachoma. In Ghana, many families lack access to basic sanitation facilities such as hand washing sinks and clean washrooms. Compassion Ghana has more than 97,000 children and youth registered in the child and youth development program. Most participants live in rural communities. A baseline survey conducted by our church partners in Ghana in 2017 found that approximately 13 per cent of Compassion-assisted participants’ households have access to and use an improved toilet facility. A recent survey from the World Bank found that 18 per cent of the general population of Ghana practise open defecation, with that number increasing to 32 per cent for rural households.The need
Compassion’s frontline church partners at the Gindabo Fountain Gate Chapel and the Assemblies of God Church in Ghana are committed to providing more than 400 registered children and youth with nourishing meals, education and mentorship. However, without access to adequate sanitation facilities, staff struggle to provide a safe learning environment for the children they serve. The current toilet facilities are deplorable and have become a breeding ground for flies, leaving children exposed to sanitation-related illnesses. Sadly, many children at these centres resort to open defecation, further putting them and others at risk of disease and encounters with dangerous wildlife, as well as negatively affecting their self-esteem and dignity. Your generous support will allow new washrooms to be built at each centre. The new, gender-separated facilities will include 10 toilets, ensuring enough stalls for children to use without waiting in long lines. The facilities at each centre will also have four hand washing sinks, allowing children to wash their hands after using the washroom and before eating. Local health care workers will provide health and hygiene training to children and caregivers. A select group of youths will be trained to act as agents of change on sanitation issues in the communities. This intervention will create a physical environment that enhances safety and dignity and builds self-esteem among participants, their households and communities.What your gift will do
Your gift will build new washroom and hand washing facilities at each of the GH0347 and GH0354 Compassion centres in Ghana, including:- 4 hand washing sinks and accessories
- 10-seater institutional toilets:
- Land for construction
- Site clearance
- Digging and excavation
- Concrete work: cement, blockwork
- Roof slabs, blocks, beams, columns
- Carpentry: walls, screens, ceiling, window and door frames
- Surface finishes: tiling, plastering, painting
- Sanitary application and fittings: toilets, urinals, sinks
- Septic tank, water tank and piping
- Wall tiles and floor tiles
- Water supply connections
- Electricity connections
- Hygiene training
- Venue for 2-day hygiene education workshops
- Honorarium for 2 environmental health officers
- Monitoring and evaluation
- Implementation committee
- Field office personnel
- External expert
Logistics
- Local contribution: US$4,132.91
- Handling of funds: Compassion Ghana will work with the local church partners to ensure this project stays within budget.
- Monitoring and follow-up: Compassion centre staff will work with environmental health officers to provide students and caregivers with health and hygiene training and will monitor the use of new washrooms at the facilities. Youth will be trained to became agents of change in their communities as they encourage others to practise good sanitation and hygiene. Staff look forward to seeing children’s improved health through decreased incidence of hygiene-related illnesses and increased attendance on program days.