Lambussie, UWR, July 30, GNA – The Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources has developed a stand-alone guideline targeting the poor and vulnerable for basic sanitation services in Ghana.
The Ministry has therefore consciously incorporated cross-cutting issues such as gender, equity, inclusion, vulnerability and poverty in its water and hygiene policies and strategies.
Mr Michael Akumfi-Ameyaw, an Engineer who represented the Ministry at the launch of the SNV Healthy Future for all (HF4A) project at Lambussie has disclosed.
He said the Ministry had given due consideration to the poor and the vulnerable and supported them to also have access to the provision of water and sanitation services.
He explained that the SNV had been a long-standing partner to the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector and the Ministry was certain that its support in the sustainable rural sanitation, urban sanitation and rural water supply would complement the Ministry’s efforts of bridging the gap of inadequate access to sanitation and water services.
Again, the challenges of disparity among segment of the population: sex, wealth and geographic location had become a matter of great concern to the Ministry and its partners.
Mr Akumfi-Ameyaw said the Ministry had lauded the Healthy Future for All project for giving hope at addressing the disparities associated in the WASH sector.
The establishment of Low-income Consumer Support Department within the Ghana Water Company Limited to provide extension of water supply services to low income communities and peri urban areas with subsidized connections fee, was to ensure that poor households could connect to water supply mains.
In addition, the Public Utilities and Regulatory Commission has also put in place a pro-poor tariff service system to ensure that the low income poor households enjoy lifeline tariff.
Mr Thomas Ntori, of the Project WASH Team, said the HF4A was to help improve the quality of life for all and specifically increase the number of children less than five years growing up in a hygienic environment at home and in school.
He said the project would be implemented in four thematic areas: social and behavioural change through the development of effective, evidence based behavioural change interventions for key target audiences and demand creation for WASH.
It would also be concerned with market development, strengthening supply chain, services and finance for water and sanitation with a revolving fund to allow individuals with the interest to own sanitation facilities to have access to loans to construct their facilities and pay over a period.
Mr Ntori said the project would enhance infrastructure functionality, especially improving the functionality of water and sanitation infrastructure while strengthening WASH governance and building capacity of WASH governance structures to ensure sustainability.
The Healthy Future for All project is sponsored by SNV with funding secured from “The Helmsley Charitable Trust” in the areas of providing Water, Sanitation, Hygiene and Nutrition interventions seeking to help improve the quality of life for all in the target area.
It would increase positive Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and food hygiene behaviour change, specifically it would increase the number of children growing up in a hygienic environment at home and in school.
Bajin D. Pobia
