USAID, Coca-Cola provide safe water, latrines to poor Accra communities
The US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Coca-Cola Africa Foundation on Wednesday celebrated the handover of water, sanitation and hygiene projects to three communities in the Greater Accra Region.
The communities are Nsakina and Manhean in the Ga West District, and two clusters of schools in the Ledzokuku-Krowor Municipal Assembly.
A statement from the Public Affairs Unit of the U.S. Embassy in Accra said the projects are a part of a $1.5 million Water and Development Alliance between USAID and The Coca-Cola Foundation to provide safe, clean drinking water, improved sanitation facilities and hygiene education to 46,000 people in six communities in the Greater Accra and Volta regions.
The alliance has also educated the beneficiary communities to encourage them to maintain and use the facilities appropriately.
In the Greater Accra Region, the alliance completed two water centres, six latrines for schools (some of which produce biogas and manure rainwater harvesting systems), 120 household toilets and basic hygiene education to improve the living conditions of 15,000 people.
In collaboration with the school children, USAID and the Coca-Cola designed, produced and distributed comic books to teach basic hygiene education in schools.
These facilities are in support of the Government of Ghana’s policy of addressing the Millennium Development Goal 7 of ensuring environmental sustainability.
The water centers built in Manhean and Nsakina are structures housing water purification equipment to treat locally available water through sedimentation, pre-filtration, and Ultra Violet technology.
It said each centre produces safe drinking water for a nominal fee, and is pumped to additional distribution points.
The centers are managed by Waterhealth Ghana, which has signed a 10-year contract with the communities to provide ongoing operation, maintenance support and regular water quality monitoring to each community.
According to the statement, the alliance also built four modern toilet facilities to add to the existing toilets, and biogas production facilities. The facilities generate bio-gas to be used by the schools for lighting, cooking, and other purposes.
“Effluent from these systems will also be filtered and used to irrigate the school landscape. The bio-gas sanitation facilities are in two LEKMA school clusters composed of a total of 19 schools.”
The Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Ghana, C. Patricia Alsup, and the Director of Public Affairs and Communications of the Coca-Cola Company, Philippe Ayivor, handed over the facilities to the three communities at Ledzokuku Krowor Municipal Assembly South Cluster of Schools in Teshie in the Greater Accra Region.
Mr Lee Ocran, Minister of Education and Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development received the facilities on behalf of the schools and communities.
Source: GNA