Accra, Feb. 21, GNA – The Coalition of Volunteering Organizations, Ghana (COVOG), in partnership with the ECOWAS Youth and Sports Development Center, has provided hygiene and sanitation supplies to two schools as part of efforts to promote hygiene and environmental sustainability.
The beneficiary schools are Kwashieman Anglican B Primary and 2 JHS school in Accra and the Tetteh Ocloo State School for the Deaf in Ashiaman-Adjei kojo.
The donated items included waste bins, handwashing equipment, tissue papers, sanitary pads, water drums, dustbins and detergents.
The team from COVOG also organised a lecture for the pupils on volunteerism and on how to benefit from entrepreneurial opportunities as youth.
Speaking at the donation event, COVOG President, Mrs. Lilly Bright Tetteh, explained that the initiative aimed to address youth employability challenges through volunteering, with a focus on climate action and waste management.
The project is structured into four thematic areas—tree planting to combat climate change, waste management, Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH), and volunteering to create employment and entrepreneurial opportunities for young people.
“Today, we are implementing the WASH component of our project, focusing on menstrual hygiene, to ensure that young girls have access to proper sanitary materials,” Mrs. Tetteh stated.
She also highlighted a major challenge faced by the Kwashieman Cluster of Schools—a fire outbreak on December 17, 2024, that destroyed parts of a two-storey building housing the Kwashieman 2 Basic School, Kwashieman Anglican B JHS, Kwashieman Anglican A Primary, and JHS 1.
The fire also burnt waste bins used by students, prompting the replacement of the damaged bins as part of the initiative.
Project Youth Coordinator for COVOG in Greater Accra, Ms. Confidence Denkudi Adzo Fiatsi, explained the employment potential of the initiative, stating, “Someone asked how this creates employment for the youth. When we see the rubbish they make around, and we have a proper way of gathering the waste, there could be recycling, which can be used in making baskets, dustbins, and other items that can be used in communities and schools as well. So, it creates jobs for the youth one way or the other. The waste management and employability components help guide the children by educating them on how to dispose of their waste, which could be recycled for jobs.”
Madam Anne Nyakoah Yeboah, the Coordinator for the School Health Education Programme (SHEP) at Kwashieman Anglican 2 JHS, welcomed the support, describing it as a major boost to the school’s sanitation efforts.
She emphasized the school’s commitment to waste segregation and overall hygiene management.
“This term, our health club is working on waste segregation to ensure plastics and other materials are disposed of properly. The donation from ECOWAS and COVOG is a blessing to us. The sanitary pads, in particular, will ease the burden on girls who often struggle to afford them, sometimes missing school due to lack of access,” she said.
She further appealed for continued support, noting that the school has close to 300 menstruating girls in both the JHS and upper primary levels who require assistance.
The partnership between COVOG and ECOWAS is expected to enhance sanitation practices in the schools while fostering a culture of volunteering among the youth.
GNA