The SNV Netherlands Development Organisation has provided a $100,000 revolving fund to promote access to finance for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) service delivery and private sector participation in Nandom Municipal and Lambussie District.
The fund is currently managed by the Nandom Rural Bank and since its launch, a total of 37,000 of the fund had been disbursed to households for water, sanitation and hygiene interventions to ensure that households live in a more hygienic environment.
Mr. Pieter Spaarman, Country Director of SNV made this known during the inauguration of a solar powered water system for Basebele Community in the Nandom Municipality provided under its 'Healthy Future for All Project'.
He said the SNV would continue to strengthen platforms for WASH and nutrition, coordination and push for advocacy through citizen accountability platforms and providing an enabling environment for full participation of private sector actors.
'SNV believes in continuity and will ensure that all water infrastructure are developed on existing water points. On our infrastructure, access of quality water has improved for a total of 9300 people in four communities including two health facilities and three schools in Basebele, Billaw, Nabaala and Piiri', he said.
He said each of the facilities was expected to supply an estimated 2,220 gallons of potable water to residents and the systems would also allow for future pipe expansion works as build on.
'Gender and social inclusion issues have been key and we always strive to ensure we bridge the gap as we aim at improving the quality of life for all, and specifically increase the number of children less than 15 years growing up in a hygienic environment at home and in school', he said.
Mr. Spaarman said the project had so far constructed 75 handwashing facilities for schools and healthcare facilities to promote handwashing while 22 women from the two project districts had been trained on soap making and equipped with entrepreneurial skills.
Naa Professor Edmund Nmwinyen Delle Chiir VIII, Paramount Chief of the Nandom Traditional Council, who chaired ceremony, appealed to residents and heads of institutions to take good care of the facilities to secure healthy lives for the people.
He said clean water was medicine and advised the people, especially women to clean their environments at home and at the sites of the facilities and use hygienic containers to fetch and store water from the pips to avoid contamination.
The 'Healthy Future for All' project is a water, sanitation, hygiene and nutrition intervention implemented by SNV in Nandom Municipal and Lambussie District of the Upper West Region aimed at promoting substantial development in targeted communities.
Source: Ghana News Agency