Bye Cholera, Accra Does Not Miss You
At one end of a stream in Bortianor stood a lady washing wringing her clothes from soapy water into the stream. A few minutes later, some children who had gone to harvest sugarcane from the farm, clad in uniforms, washed their shoes, faces, arms and legs at another side of the river.
Behind a tree that is partly rooted in the river, one of the schoolgirls hides and relieves herself of urine which trickles into the same stream. After all this, the team of “sugarcane adventurers” wash their sugarcane in that same stream – ready for consumption. These activities seem unrelated but for the common denominator – the stream. Similar stories can be told of other suburbs in the Greater Accra Region. It is no surprise that Bortianor recorded numerous cases during the massive cholera outbreak in 2014. The Greater Accra Region was the hardest hit with cholera, recording about 5,000 cases and 45 deaths as at August that year.
Cholera, a bacterial disease caused by Vibrio Cholerae, is commonly transmitted to individuals through contaminated water. It is fatal, especially to women and children within hours, as a result of dehydration caused by diarrhoea and vomiting. Though curable, preventive measures such as clean environments, water purification for drinking and cooking, and proper handwashing (after visiting the toilet, before and after eating etc) are preferable and sustainable options for preventing the spread of the disease.
The 2014 outbreak was brought under control by the collaborative intervention of Global Communities, the Ghana Health Service, Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources, Environmental Health Directorate and the Red Cross Society. WASH interventions were intensified in 2016 and are still underway. Since September 2016, there have been no recorded case of cholera in the region, largely due to the efforts of actors in the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector, such the USAID funded WASH for Health project implemented by Global Communities.
USAID has funded various projects in the WASH sector; including WASH for Urban Poor (WASH-UP) and WASH for Health projects. These projects support preventive measures such as house-to-house education on cholera, distribution of Aquatabs (a brand of chlorine tablets for purifying 20 liters of water per tablet in 30 minutes), disinfection of cholera-prone communities, distribution of Social and Behavior Change Communication (BCC) materials, as well as radio and television spots. Currently, cholera prevention activities are being carried out under the WASH for Health project initiated in 2015 and implemented across communities in 30 districts in five regions of Ghana (Greater Accra, Central, Western, Northern and Volta).
Almost two years after the intervention, residents in the cholera prone areas continue to adopt hygienic practices. The fact that Accra has been cholera-free for two years in a row is testament to the hard work of community members in sustaining the practice of these effective WASH interventions. Madam Bebli, a fishmonger at Tsokomey sums this up by saying, “It’s been long since I last noticed a cholera outbreak in Tsokomey. I personally ensure that our working area is thoroughly cleaned after the fishes are smoked. I also ensure that my family, especially the children, wash their hands regularly.”
Splash Splash Go Away!
Some pupils avoid the use of tippy taps due to the sporadic splashes of water that hit the ground during handwashing, imprinting muddy stains on their clothes, shoes and especially their white socks. This inconvenience is gradually fading out as some schools in the Agotime-Ziope District, in the Volta Region, have taken on the use of rock-lined holes dug beneath the gallon dispensing water for handwashing. Aside from the holes lined with rocks, objects are arched around the hole to prevent further splashes. Rest assured your shoes and cloths will be unstained after washing your hand with the newly improved tippy-tap.
A total of 25 basic schools in the Agotime-Ziope District benefitted from the Small Grants program, a sub-component of the USAID funded WASH for Health (W4H) Project through the Center for Integrated Education and Development (CIED). CIED is a beneficiary organization which received funding for the training of head teachers and SHEP coordinators on hand washing, construction of tippy-taps and Menstrual Hygiene Management.
As a result of this training, most of the beneficiary schools have implemented the rock-lined holes as part of the tippy-tap system and reinforced handwashing. Handwashing at critical times of the day; after visiting the toilet, before and after eating, is essential to healthy living. The tippy-tap is one of the innovative and affordable handwashing facilities adopted in most rural areas.
The Small Grants Program supports local organizations to facilitate sustainable, innovative, community-driven projects that improve sanitation, water and hygiene for individuals, households and communities. The Program awards a maximum of $2,000 to successful applicants to complete their proposed project within six months.
About 60 communities in four regions, (Northern, Western, Central, Volta), have so far benefitted from the program. By the end of August 2018, all community projects under the Small Grants program for the will be completed.
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Pro-Poor Guidelines for Sanitation Sector launched
The Pro-poor guideline policy is to deliver basic sanitation for the poor and vulnerable in the Country. The document was developed by the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources with support from Stakeholders in the sanitation sector.
Sanitation being one of the biggest challenges in the Country was one of the contributing factors which was considered in developing the document. The guidelines is to ensure inclusion, equality and sustainability in providing directions for stakeholders to adequately reach the poor and the vulnerable without undermining community and cohesion in building their own latrines.
The document will also serve a working document and provide direction and guidance for all stakeholders in the Sanitation and hygiene in Ghana. The guidelines is available for download here
YIEDIE Policy Action Workshop
In collaboration with the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Global Communities - YIEDIE held the Policy Action workshop on January 17th, 2018 at Coconut Groove Hotel in Accra. The workshop aimed to find ways of collectively improving the local business and environment to promote youth entrepreneurship, employment, and skills development with regards to the construction sector in line with the government’s agenda of promoting the private sector as engine of growth. A variety of key stakeholders in government attended the event, including members of the Metropolitan Assembly, and the Honorable Mayor of Accra, Mohammed Adjei Sowah. Also in attendance were Global Communities – Ghana Country Director, Alberto Wilde, YIEDIE staff and partners of the YIEDIE consortium, including Artisans Association of Ghana (AAG), Africa Aurora Business Network (AABN), HFC-Boafo, and Opportunities Industrialization Centre of Ghana (OICG).
Key Questions
The group sought to answer a set of key questions regarding Ghana’s business environment and the actions that need to be taken towards making it more conducive for youth employment and entrepreneurship. Those questions were as follows:
- What are the top barriers for youth entry into the labor market and employment (with focus on the construction sector)? Do these barriers differ by sectors, gender or age?
- How do broader national and global sector context shape opportunities and impose constraints on local industries (construction firms) and the potential for youth employment?
- Do partnerships between Local Assemblies, NGOs, Training Providers and businesses contribute to better job placement and sustainable employment?
- What specific strategies and interventions can local assemblies take to increase employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for young people?
Youth Unemployment Challenges
Global Communities – Ghana Country Director, Alberto Wilde, kicked-off the event by sharing insights on Ghana’s youth demographic and the unemployment challenges faced today. “While GDP growth rate has averaged 6 percent in the last decade, youth unemployment particularly in urban areas still remains high”, he noted. Meanwhile, the challenges faced young women is even more staggering. Mr. Wilde informed participants of the workshop that female representation in most industries and sectors of the economy remain very low. “Not only are women underrepresented in leadership and managerial roles, they are also underrepresented across all levels of employment.” The YIEDIE project aims to bridge the gender gap in Ghana’s construction sector by offering technical training for both young women and equip them with the business development and financial literacy skills to attain employment.
YIEDIE
The Youth Inclusive Entrepreneurial Development Initiative for Employment (YIEDIE) is a five-year project to create economic opportunities in Ghana’s construction sector for economically disadvantaged youth, implemented by Global Communities (formerly CHF International) in partnership with Mastercard Foundation. YIEDIE will directly reach at least 23,700 youth with training in technical, life and entrepreneurship skills leading to employment. The project applies an integrated, youth-led market-systems model to improve the capacity of youth and service providers across the value chain. It is training young women and men in technical construction skills and helping youth to grow and start small businesses. It is also increasing collaboration and support amongst construction sector stakeholders to improve their enabling environment.
The Mayor’s Address
Honorable Mayor Mohammed Adjei Sowah took the stage, as the guest of honor, and delivered a speech highlighting some of the nation’s most pressing issues. Hon. Sowah praised the work being done by the YIEDIE project towards equipping the youth with technical skills and linking them to meaningful employment. “The government believes the private sector is the engine of growth and YIEDIE project is one of such”, he noted. “The construction sector is booming. It will not seize; it will not stop.”
The Way Forward
Global Communities and the Accra Metropolitan Assembly officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding towards creating and sustaining a business environment that would be conducive to youth employment and entrepreneurship. Listed in the official document are the responsibilities of each party towards this end. Among the responsibilities of the AMA, per this Memorandum, is to facilitate apprenticeships, coaching and mentoring opportunities for young entrepreneurs within the jurisdictional boundaries of the Assembly.