Yagaba (NE/R), Oct. 19, GNA – The Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Ghana, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), has invested additional five million dollars into the Integrated Community Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Improvement (ICOWASH 2.0) project in districts across the North East and Upper East Regions.
Mr Charles Obeng Appiah, a Senior Project Officer of the CRS, who disclosed this, further added that the organisation had so far invested over $12 million in the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programme in the last seven years in West Mamprusi and Talensi Districts.
“CRS through the Integrated Sanitation, Hygiene and Nutrition Education (I-SHINE) and ICOWASH 1.0 projects has invested over $12 million into WASH in the last seven years in the West Mamprusi and Talensi Districts.”
Mr Appiah said this when he addressed stakeholders at this year’s Global Hand washing Day (GHD) celebration held at Yagaba, in the Mamprugu-Moaduri District of the North East Region.
The GHD was celebrated on the theme; “Our Future is at Hand – Let’s Move Forward Together,” and it attracted officials from the Mamprugu Moaduri District Assembly, the Ghana Education Service (GES), the Ghana Heath Service (GHS), traditional and religious leaders and some members of the public.
Mr Appiah reassured participants and residents of the District that the CRS was committed to ensuring positive impacts in the area and across all beneficiary districts, and called for support from all stakeholders for the ICOWASH 2.0 project.
Mr Peter Worlasi Adanu, the ICOWASH 2.0 Project Officer in his address, expressed confidence that the project would be successfully implemented, and recounted the support the project had so far received from the District partners.
He reminded stakeholders that the ICOWASH 2.0 was a three-year project implemented in the Mamprugu-Moaduri and Talensi Districts, and the West Mamprusi Municipality, saying “So far, 27 schools are benefiting from the year one implementation.
“Additional 30 schools have been proposed to kick-start with the year two implementation. I am very confident that we shall achieve the needed results as we effectively collaborate with project stakeholders and beneficiaries,” he said.
Mr Seidu Aziz, the Mamprugu- Moaduri District Coordinating Director, who chaired the event, reaffirmed the Assembly’s commitment towards the ICOWASH 2.0 project, and called for collaboration from all stakeholders to ensure its effective implementation.
“As the District Coordinating Director, I want to speak the mind of the District Chief Executive, that whatever role is required of us to play for the sustainability of the ICOWASH 2.0 project, we shall commit ourselves to it,” he said.
The District Director of the GES, Mr Elias Azure Abange, noted that “So far, CRS has proven to be one of the best and committed organisation interested in human and academic development. I have no doubt that together we shall succeed”.
He encouraged staff of the GES and teachers of the beneficiary schools to effectively play their assigned roles to enable all schools attain WASH friendly status by the end of the project year.
As part of the celebration, there was a Hand washing Innovation challenge between seven schools, the Kunkwa Roman Catholic Junior High School (JHS) from the Kunkwa Circuit won the overall best innovation school prize.
The Sakpaaba District Assembly Basic School from the Yagaba Circuit and the Tantala Primary School from the Tantala Circuit both emerged the second runner up with awards presented to all winners and participating schools.
GNA