By Gilbert Azeem Tiroog
Pungu (U/E), Sept. 25, GNA – WaterAid Ghana, a Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) focused organisation, has commissioned a new maternity block and other health infrastructure at the Pungu Community-based Health Planning Services (CHPS) Compound in the Kassena-Nankana Municipality.
The gesture is part of efforts to strengthen child, maternal and adolescent healthcare delivery in the area.
The new maternity block is fully equipped with WASH systems, safe and disability-friendly sanitation units, a reliable water supply fitted with overhead tanks to ensure continuous supply of water even without electricity, and a youth-friendly health centre for adolescent health clubs.
The adolescent centre will serve as a safe space for young people to receive reproductive health education, mentorship, and training in producing reusable sanitary pads to reduce period poverty.
The commissioning is part of the implementation of the Sexual Health and Reproductive Education (SHARE) project being implemented by a consortium and funded by Global Affairs Canada.
The consortium is led by Right to Play in collaboration with WaterAid Ghana, Forum for African Women Educationalists Ghana (FAWE-FAWE-Ghana) and FHI360.
The five-year project combines WASH and Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) with sexual and reproductive health education to improve the lives of adolescents, women and girls, and communities in four districts of the Upper East Region.
The beneficiary areas include the Kassena-Nankana and Builsa North Municipalities, and Kassena-Nankana West and Bongo Districts.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, Mss Ewurabena Yanyi-Akofur, Country Director of WaterAid Ghana, said the initiative went beyond cutting sods and commissioning facilities.
“Our purpose here is to learn from you, from the community advocacy groups, from the health staff about how these investments are improving infection prevention, service delivery, and the lives of women, adolescents, and children,” she said.
She commended the consortium partners and community members for their role in driving demand for improved health and WASH services, stressing that sustainability would depend on community ownership and effective facility management.
Dieneke van der Wijk, Managing Director of WaterAid Netherlands, said maintenance was key to sustaining the gains made so far and urged stakeholders to commit themselves to maintaining the infrastructure to serve generations to come.Â
Dr Edmund Nellic Nyanwura, the Municipal Health Director, said the facilities had improved service delivery in the area.
“With this project, at least we have reliable water flowing, making service delivery easy for our nurses. The adolescent centres and toilet facilities have changed the face of the CHPS compound,” he said, adding that trained health staff were cascading skills to other facilities not directly benefiting under the project.
Ms Clothilda Anaam, WASH Focal Person for the Pungu CHPS, said since the completion of the project, the ripple effect had been tremendous, attracting clients not just from the Pungu community but also from various communities.
“Under the project, we are also now fully empowered and confident in carrying out our duties effectively, and we are grateful,” she added.
In a speech read on his behalf, Mr Donatus Atanga Akamugri, the Upper East Regional Minister, described the SHARE project as a life-changing intervention, noting that “What we celebrate here is more than infrastructure. It is about dignity, equity, and justice”.
He commended WaterAid Ghana and the Ghana Health Service for building resilient systems rooted in community ownership but urged stronger commitment to maintenance and accountability.
“Too often we invest in infrastructure but fail to sustain it. I direct the Municipal Chief Executive and District Health Director to ensure a Facility Management Plan is in place and enforced. Communities must also take full ownership to protect these assets,” the Minister stressed.
Pe Dongeo I.N. Kuu-Naa II, the Paramount Chief of the Pungu Traditional Area, said he was overwhelmed with the kind gesture demonstrated by WaterAid and its partners.
“I am short of words to express my gratitude, this is overwhelming. Though this is a CHPS, it is more attractive than the known health centres in our District, and every pregnant woman seeing this beautiful CHPS compound will wish to deliver here, and I must say we are grateful as a community,” he stated.
The SHARE project, which runs until March 2026, has reached 87 health facilities across four districts in the Upper East Region, transforming healthcare delivery through improved WASH, IPC and reproductive health systems.
GNA
Edited by Caesar Abagali/George-Ramsey Benamba