By Albert Futukpor, GNA
Tamale, May 31, GNA – Staff of the Catholic Relief Services (CRS), an international NGO, on Friday undertook their annual Community Day at Kanvili R/C School Complex in Tamale where they constructed a two-seater latrine for 200 children at the kindergarten level.
They also made the children’s playground safe by pouring soft sand around it, put up an artwork to make the environment look nice for the children, installed tippy taps (hand washing device) to improve hygiene and sanitation as well as cleaned the school compound amongst others.
The CRS’ Community Day is an annual event celebrated by CRS staff worldwide where they reach out in service to the communities where CRS offices are located, interact with people in the communities, build on existing relationships and as well as begin new ones.
Mr Festus Fofie, Director, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Programme, CRS, who spoke about the essence of the CRS’ Community Day during the exercise at the school in Tamale, said it was “For us to live our values, as staff of CRS, and by our values; our values of bringing transformational change, enhancing human dignity and protecting the poor and vulnerable in the world.”
Mr Fofie said by enhancing the WASH status of the school, “We are ensuring that at a very young age, the children are practising proper hand washing, which they will carry with them throughout their lives.”
He urged school authorities “To put in every measure they can to ensure the proper operation and maintenance of the toilet facility we are building for them so that we don’t come back a year or two afterwards and the toilet is no longer in use.”
He further urged teachers to continue to dedicate “Their time, their skills and their knowledge to teaching the children because the children are the future of the country, the future of the world, and we have to build them up to become very responsible and very impactful leaders for us in the country.”
Madam Alice Memuna Kanjoriba, Assistant Headmistress in-charge of Kindergarten, Kanvili R/C School Complex, described the gesture as a great relief to the school and said the lack of toilet facility at the school was a source of worry to school authorities.
She said “We are yearning for this. The latrine will bring a great change because they are young children. They walk from here to the other side to free themselves. Some come back. Some don’t even come. So, it’s a great relief. They will no longer go out to free themselves. The playground is safe for them now. When they play, they learn.”
Meanwhile, the Accra office team of CRS also celebrated the CRS’ Community Day at the Accra Weija Leprosarium and donated food items to the facility amongst other activities.
GNA