Building of public toilets and educational campaign against open air defecation in Old Ningo, Ghana
Location
África
Ahwiam quarter, Old Ningo town, Prampram district, Ghana
Beneficiaries
Number of direct beneficiaries: 5.000
Including 500 women and 3.000 children aged under 15
Number of indirect beneficiaries: 10.000
Including 1.000 women and 6.000 children aged under 15
The first group of direct beneficiaries will be 90% of the population of Ahwian, which lacks a bathroom in their homes.
The second group of direct beneficiaries will be 15 women who are members of the organisation for the management and maintenance of public toilets as a public service.
The indirect beneficiaries will be all inhabitants of the town of Old Ningo in the Pram-Pram district, estimated in 10.000 people, who will experience an improvement in their access to infrastructures of drinking water, public toilets and showers.
Duration
October 2016 - October 2017
Problems
The community of Ahwiam, included in the Ningo Prampram district in Ghana, has a population of 5.000 people, where 90% of the households lack a bathroom, thus needing to use a precarious and insufficient network of toilets.
During the second semester of 2015, a previous study was carried out on the population in Ahwiamun by means of a survey. Most of the survey respondents (55.7%) declared that they defecate in open air.
Objectives
a) Main Objective: To improve the access to water and sanitation in the community of Ahwiam. Old Ningo- Prampram district - Ghana
b) Specific Objectives:
1. To improve the water and sanitation infrastructures in Ahwiam with the building of new communal toilets.
2. To educate the community on good hygienic practices for health and on the dangers caused by open air defecation.
3. To empower women in the water and sanitation sectors by means of the management and maintenance company of communal toilets.
4. To promote a participative process in the making of decisions in the water and sanitation sectors.
Description
90% of the population of Ahwiam does not have a bathroom in their home, nor do they have any possibility of building one as the urban structure is very dense.
Open air defecation is a major problem in the community, with important consequences for health, especially among the most vulnerable population groups.
The existing network of public toilets is insufficient both in numbers and in quality, being in a deplorable state of conservation.
The new toilet blocks that have been recently built are closed as their maintenance is not organised.
The urban structure of the town and the opinion of the inhabitants indicate that the solution for the basic sanitation is the building of public toilets and communal pits. It is necessary to educate the population so that it may acquire healthy hygiene habits.
