Residents of Agyanwiam and Sokolo in the Tain District, and Canada and Aprakukrom in the Sunyani West Municipality of the Bono Region, are now benefiting from improved access to safe drinking water following the installation of mechanised boreholes in the communities.
The intervention is expected to significantly enhance the supply of potable water, improve hygiene practices, and help prevent outbreaks of waterborne and skin-related diseases that have long affected residents.
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For many years, the communities depended largely on streams and other unsafe water sources for their domestic needs. This exposed residents, particularly women and children, to waterborne infections and skin-related Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), while forcing them to travel long distances in search of water.
The provision of the mechanised boreholes is therefore expected to ease the burden of water scarcity and promote healthier living conditions in the beneficiary communities. The project, which involved an investment of GH¢140,000, was funded by the Anesvad Foundation and implemented by the Global Media Foundation (GLOMEF) in partnership with Tim Africa Aid Ghana.
It forms part of the Community Integration and Systems Strengthening Project, which adopts a holistic approach to addressing the burden of skin-related NTDs by combining water infrastructure delivery with hygiene education and community-led management systems.
Commissioning the facility at Sokolo, the Project Coordinator of GLOMEF Ghana, Mr Emmanuel Jessi Jackson Sarkodie, said the initiative was designed not only to improve access to safe water but also to strengthen community capacity to sustain the facilities.
He explained that community water management committees had been established and trained to oversee the maintenance of the boreholes and ensure their proper use. Sarkodie added that the project also includes community-based health education to equip residents with knowledge on hygiene, sanitation and disease prevention.
According to him, improved access to safe water would protect children from preventable diseases while reducing the burden on women who previously spent long hours searching for water.
The Executive Director of Tim Africa Aid Ghana, Isaac Kwabena, commended stakeholders, including the Tain and Sunyani West District Health Directorates and local authorities, for their collaboration in supporting the initiative to improve health outcomes in the beneficiary communities.
The Odikro of Sokolo, Nana Gabriel Manu, described the project as life-changing, saying it would help reduce disease prevalence in the community while improving the wellbeing of residents.
He expressed gratitude to the implementing organisations and their partners for responding to the long-standing water challenges facing the communities.
Beyond improving access to safe drinking water, the project is expected to promote better sanitation practices and help reduce the spread of skin-related NTDs, which remain a major public health challenge in many underserved communities.
