From Sammy Asare, Ahafo Region.
Members of the Water and Sanitation Management Team (WSMT) under the Asutifi North Ahonidie Mpuntuo (ANAM) – Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programme in Ahafo Region have received a training workshop on water management and sanitation to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6.
The 4 – Day training workshop which also discussed sanitation-related issues to water systems and spearheaded by Asutifi North District Assembly and World Vision Ghana assembled 98 WSMT members from communities such as Pobikrom, Kwabenafo, Anlo, Ntrakwah, Solomonkrom, Nsuta, Nsuta Domiabra, Forest Ano, Nkwanta, Aboagyaa, Kojokrom Asempanaye, Yawusukrom and Rashidia.
In an exclusive interview with a Facilitator who is also the School Health Education Program(SHEP) Coordinator for the District, Felicia Ohenewa Larbi the brain behind the workshop is to empower beneficiaries of ANAM -WASH on how best they are to manage water systems(boreholes) for their own advantage.
According to Felicia Ohenewa Larbi, giving them much knowledge on managerial skills will reduce the amount of pressure directed to the assembly and it partners meaning funds can be channeled elsewhere to make development thrive for the people in the District.
She mentioned that under the ANAM – WASH programme, beneficiaries are made to understand that projects are their own so therefore they need to design appropriate measures to keep them(facilities) intact for their good. To her, the assembly and partners involved are to direct and also to empower them with the needed knowledge to make the initiative excel and also to be copied by others just like how the Uganda Government sent a delegation to District to understudy the policies of the programme because it was doing extremely well.
” We will be extremely shocked to see a community unable to manage its water facility after this training ” Asutifi North District SHEP stated.
She mentioned that the Facilitators for the training workshop were amazed per the kind of knowledge exhibited by the participants on water management and sanitation and with these the ANAM – WASH initiative in no time will meet its objective as planned.
Felicia Ohenewa Larbi revealed that participants were taught on the responsibilities of the team collectively as well as respective individuals. They were educated on the kind of collaborators to deal with such as the assembly, education unit, health directorate, environmental officers and Non Governmental Organizations(NGOs) to make facilities managing excel.
They were enlightened on getting bank accounts to keep funds raised from the facility as a result of selling to community members. This will position the community to have monies for maintenance when the need arises. Again, they were taught on how to draft the Facility Management Plan(FMP) which is in a form of constitution to govern the facility. She said once FMP is initiated it will make people do the right thing for the progress of the project.
Aside from these participants were detailed on the things considered before a borehole is constructed in a particular area because most at times residents engage in banter on why the facility was not constructed close to them. They have however educated the need to organize communal labor often to keep the facility and it surrounding clean making the water hygienic for human consumption.
Some of the participants who are to go sell the message to the rest of the community members thanked the Assembly Headed by Anthony Mensah the District Chief Executive(DCE) and the partners especially World Vision Ghana for such education on water and sanitation management which will be of great importance to them and the assembly at large.