IN its continued effort to address Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) challenges in the Upper East Region, WaterAid Ghana has constructed and expanded WASH infrastructure in six beneficiary communities across the region.
The GH¢3 million facilities, delivered under the Sexual Health and Reproductive Education (SHARE) project, aim to strengthen equitable access to quality, safe and adolescent-friendly Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) services.
The beneficiary communities are Zorko, Chuchuliga, Kobdema, Navrongo, Kanania and Nyariga.
Speaking at a handover ceremony at Kodorogo, a community under Zorko in the Bongo District, the District Director of Health Services, Ms Estella Abazesi, commended WaterAid Ghana for its sustained commitment to improving health outcomes in the region.
She said the SHARE project had led to the construction of a state-of-the-art WASH facility at the Zorko Health Centre, fully furnished with modern and user-friendly washrooms.
"Quality healthcare delivery at the Zorko Health Centre has improved significantly. The facility now serves as a model centre for all 10 CHPS compounds within the Zorko area," she stated.
Ms Abazesi explained that prior to the intervention, access to washroom facilities, particularly for expectant mothers in labour, had been extremely challenging.
"Previously, mothers struggled to access toilet facilities. With the support from WaterAid Ghana under the SHARE project, we have expanded WASH services and improved maternal healthcare delivery," she noted.
She added that the availability of water and improved sanitation had promoted regular hand-washing among health workers and clients, resulting in a significant reduction in infections among children.
According to her, neonatal infections in the district stood at 8.4 per cent per 1,000 live births in 2022 but declined to 2.5 per cent in 2023.
"As of 2025, less than one per cent of neonates are born with infections in the district," she disclosed.
Ms Abazesi further noted that facility-based deliveries had increased due to the availability of water at the health centre.
"Our maternity services have improved because mothers no longer have to travel long distances in search of water. We are grateful to WaterAid Ghana and its consortium partners for this intervention," she indicated.
She, however, urged the health facility management and the community to take proper care of the newly constructed WASH facility, which also includes an adolescent-friendly corner.
A resident of Kodorogo, Madam Mary Atiah, recalled the difficulties women faced in the past due to the lack of toilet facilities at the health centre.
"Anytime we came here in labour, there was no toilet. One had to return home or resort to open defecation, which was embarrassing. Now, there has been a massive improvement," she underlined.
The Chief of Kodorogo, Naba Adendaa Awumyelum, described the impact of the intervention as enormous, noting that it had contributed significantly to the reduction of cholera and diarrhoeal diseases in the area.
The Communication and Media Manager of WaterAid Ghana, Ms Akosua Kwafo Ogyiri, reaffirmed the organisation's commitment, together with its SHARE project partners, to improving inclusive, sustainable and gender-responsive WASH services in health facilities.
She said the facilities would serve an estimated population of over 54,000 people, with women, adolescents and young persons being the primary beneficiaries.
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