Despite the progress made by the Government of Ghana in providing access to improved water sources, about 3,600 children suffer each year from diarrhoea, which is linked to poor water and sanitation.
Statistics show that over three million people still don’t have access to safe drinking water in Ghana and only 15% of Ghanaians have access to improved sanitation.
The 15% reduces to 5% in the three northern regions, and this means that over 22 million people do not have healthy, safe and dignified places of convenience.
To help in addressing this issue, UNICEF Ghana, with support from the Canadian and the Netherland government, has donated nine Toyota Hilux and two Toyota Land Cruiser vehicles to government and non-government partners.
The 11 vehicles, at a cost of US$320,000, is to support the Government of Ghana’s Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programmes in six regions, including the five most deprived regions: Volta, Central Northern, Upper West and Upper East.
The selected regions are the most impacted by the economic and health burden of poor access to improved sanitation and water.
Ms Susan Namondo Ngongi, UNICEF Ghana Representative, at the handing-over ceremony, said she hopes the vehicle will help facilitate effective monitoring of WASH programmes across the six regions.
“The vehicles donated today will go a long way in supporting government to reach 20 million Ghanaians who do not have access to improved sanitation and five million who defecate in the open,” she noted.
She announced that UNICEF is supporting the Government of Ghana to develop and demonstrate strategies to change these outcomes.
A statement on behalf of the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development thanked UNICEF, Canada and the Netherlands for providing the needed funds towards the provision of vehicles and support to WASH programmes.
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