By Anthony Adongo Apubeo
Winkogo (U/E), Aug. 22, GNA – A 10-seater disability friendly multifaceted Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) facility has been constructed and handed over to the Bolgatanga Senior High School in the Upper East Region, for use to help improve sanitation and hygiene practice in the school.
This comes as a relief for the staff and students of the school and would save them from the practice of open defecation and unhygienic sanitary practices.
The facility, the first of its kind in any senior high school in the region, was constructed at a cost of 90,000 pounds (GH₵1,291,483.00 in current rates) by WaterAid Ghana, a WASH focused Non-Governmental Organisation.
The water closet toilet facility is part of WaterAid Ghana’s Sustainable Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Services in Institutions (SWASH-I) project with funding support from the Zochonis Charitable Trust, a United Kingdom based organisation.
As part of the project, staff and students of the school had also acquired knowledge on good hygiene behaviour and sanitation practices while cleaning and hygiene materials as well as sports items, including jerseys and footballs have been donated to the school.
At a brief ceremony to commission the facility, Mr Sampson Tettey, Head of Sustainable Services Programme, WaterAid Ghana, said the facility was meant to improve the sanitation and hygiene situation in the school for improved academic activities.
“This gender-sensitive and climate-resilient facility symbolizes not just physical structures, it represents the embodiment of progress, empowerment and brighter future for each and every member of this school community,” he said.
By promoting proper hygiene practices and sanitation, he said, it would be investment well made to secure healthy environment for inclusive learning outcomes and the production of responsible people who would contribute significantly to the growth of the economy.
“These facilities are not just static structures but rather the foundation upon which you, the students, will build a future filled with achievement, aspirations and positive change.
“It is your responsibility to not only utilize these facilities but to also share the knowledge you have gained about proper hygiene and sanitation practices to your peers, families and
communities, and by so doing, you become agents of change and influence lives beyond this school,” he added.
Mr Ababu Afelbeik, the Headmaster of the School, commended WaterAid Ghana for the support and noted that it was a big relief to the school and would go a long way to promote proper hygiene and sanitation practices in the school.
He said over the years, the school had struggled with sanitation issues due to lack of water closet toilet facilities.
He, however, noted that the school had a student population of over 2,700 and close to 200 staff and added that there was the need for more facilities in the school to serve the population and appealed for more support, especially the Talensi District Assembly to complete the construction of the two toilet facilities started in the school.
Mr Gabriel Akuka Atanga, the Senior Prefect of the School, noted that many students used to practice open defecation in the bush due to lack of decent toilet facilities in the school and the new facility would improve academic work.
Mr Simon Alebega, the Talensi District Assembly Engineer, noted that the issues of WASH, especially in educational and healthcare facilities, were of concern to the Assembly and the leadership was working to address the challenges.
GNA