The Catholic Relief Services (CRS), as part of its drive to improve good sanitary practices and academic performance in rural communities in the Northern and Upper East Regions, has provided footwear to 122,758 inhabitants.
The distribution of the footwear aimed at reducing soil transmitted helminth, as part of CRS�s Integrated Sanitation, Hygiene and Nutrition for Education (I-SHINE) project, which was being implemented in six communities in the two regions.
Madam Meliss Kreek, the Head of Programmes, CRS, who launched the programme to distribute the footwear at Langbina in the East Mamprusi District on Tuesday, said the NGO was using a voucher system to distribute the footwear to beneficiaries.
The 4,328,946-million-dollar project would be implemented from 2014 to 2016, with funding from the Helmsley Charitable Trust with the Ghana Education Service and the Ghana Health Service as implementing partners.
Madam Kreek said the CRS had observed that a lot of children and women walked bare-footed, a situation she said put them at risk of getting infected with soil transmitted helminth, which could also cause other skin infections.
She said such infections were contributing largely to anaemia in children and women of reproductive ages, which retarded growth and the overall development and well-being of children in rural communities.
Mr Mohammed Ali, CRS Programmes Manager of Health, said a baseline survey conducted in the Langbina community indicated a high prevalent rate of soil helminth, and attributed the situation to poor sanitation, including open defecation.
He indicated that such fungal infestation did not only impact negatively on the qualitative growth of children, but affected their academic performance, adding that one other goal of the project was to increase school enrollment and retention.
Mr Ali said as part of the integrated project, 85 bole-holes had been constructed, while all-inclusive latrines were also being constructed to promote good sanitation in the beneficiary communities.
Naa Bazibgiga Pampungi, the Chief of Langbina, commended the CRS for the project, which he indicated had been of immense benefit to the people, and urged other development organizations to extend their services to such deprived communities.
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