NGO calls for community-based sanitation improvement

Accra, Jan. 16, GNA - Mr A.Y.O. Modoc, Director of Afram Plains Development Organisation, a non-governmental organisation, has called for strong network of community-based groups towards effective and appropriate behavioural communication for sanitation.Mr Modoc advocated the need to develop strong partnerships towards tapping local latrine designs and improve on them to ensure their sustainability.He said this on Thursday in Accra at a seminar on Northern Region Small Town (NORST) pilot on Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) project in small towns.Mr Modoc said the CLTS project empowers the rural folks to construct their own latrines.He said the standards of these latrines have over a period of time experienced some setbacks.He said notwithstanding the pitfalls, some community members are faced with the challenge of inadequate funds to construct their desired latrines and called on the authorities to liaise with financial institutions to provide credit for the development of the sanitation markets.Mr Modoc explained that the sanitation market is a latrine information centre where all available latrines are displayed to support communities to make the appropriate latrine choices.He said the objective is to assist in constructing household latrines to improve sanitation in the districts and support district assemblies to network with other agencies to promote general sanitation and create a model of credit to support them to enhance sanitation and improve health.In an address read on behalf, Mr Akwasi Oppong-Fosu, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development said the Ministry in July 2013 signed a Memorandum of Understanding with results-based financing organisations for the provision of sanitation and hygiene at the community level.Mr Oppong-Fosu said the CLTS are involved in mobilising communities to completely eliminate open defecation and build latrines through a process of facilitation.He said the Ministry has adopted the CLTS programme as a national strategy and is currently rolled out in selected districts in Upper West, Upper East, Northern, Central and Volta Regions.Dr Andrew Livingston, Director of NORST Project said the project started in 2008 with funding from Ghana and Canada to enable the country to implement decentralised water and sanitation delivery in the Northern Region.He said the project is being implemented in 13 districts assemblies in the Northern Region, covering 20 small towns with about 150,000 people beneficiaries.Madam Martha Tia-Adjei, CLTS Focal Person for NORST Project said the Project was piloted in Karaga and Nanumba North District Assemblies in collaboration with the development partners.She said the project organised refresher training of regional facilitation team, hands on training of district facilitation teams, triggering of section and stakeholders durbar in Karaga and Bincheratanga.She said the project was successful in spite of some challenges such as lack of funds and irregular monitoring, and advocated the creation of sanitation markets and provision of micro credit.GNA Read Full Story