In Fanteakwa South District of the Eastern region, five rural communities have been declared Open Defecation Free following a $100,000 Community-led Total Sanitation (CLTS) program implemented by World Vision International in Ghana.
The open defecation free communities are Dwenase, Abompe, Dome, Gyamponi, and Adjeikrom.
According to reports, at least 80% of households in these communities have toilet facilities attached with handwashing toolkits and good waste management system.
To celebrate the achievement of the open defecation free communities, a durbar was held at Dwenase. The Fanteakwa Cluster Manager of World Vision International in Ghana, Christopher Teye said steps have been taken for six additional communities to be enrolled onto the Community-led Total Sanitation (CLTS) programme to also achieve Open Defecation Free (OPDF).
He, however, called on the District Assembly to support the organization by enforcing its by-laws on sanitation and invest in sanitation infrastructure needed to sustain the gains made.
The DCE for Fanteakwa South, Adjaben Ntori, assured that the by-laws on sanitation are going to be enforced.
“I am going to make sure we institute bylaws to control the system. I will make sure that the remaining communities will be enrolled into the system and we will give them the maximum support whether financial support or anything that will make it sustainable. We will make sure that each and every community has toilet facility and then individuals have household toilets,†he said.
It is estimated that 34% of residents in rural communities in Ghana practice open defecation while 21% use unimproved sanitation facilities.
The target 6.2 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) seeks to achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and to end open defecation with special attention to the needs of women by 2030
Since 2016 ,World Vision has been implementing Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in Fanteakwa hence supported with the construction of 30 boreholes, two mechanized water supply systems, constructed six institutional latrines with menstrual hygiene facilities for schools, supported 28 schools with 250 hand washing facilities and supported some 38 vulnerable households with improved demonstration latrines.