Introduction
Global Communities’ vision for the USAID funded Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) for Health Project target areas is that all residents have sustainable access to dignified, safe and improved water supply and sanitation, and the knowledge, attitudes and behaviors needed to properly and hygienically use these facilities to meet their basic needs and to be healthy.
Use of improved Sanitation Promotion
CLTS facilitators including natural leaders, staff of Assemblies like DWST members and EHO/EHAs and technical staff of LNGOs are to be provided with training using resource persons from the EHSD. CLTS triggering activities in targeted districts and promotion of 3 latrine technologies – lined and unlined Mozambique and slabless – will continue with the facilitators taking the lead and training other people in the process.
Sanitation marketing by facilitating the movement of latrine inputs to convenient travelling distances for residents in communities to conveniently access is expected to allow residents adequately triggered to build their own latrines with by utilizing the services of latrine artisans that will be trained in all the regions.
Private WASH sector organizations will also be engaged following due processes to provide specialized service when needed. Utilizing the VSLA networks where present or facilitate the formation of new ones, WASH for Health will partner organizations working with the VSLAs to drive the demand for latrines through saving up for the facility. Some other financial products may be developed to respond to local situations as a way of increasing access to inputs for the construction of household latrines
Improved community water supply services
Boreholes are to be drilled and constructed within the year in communities in selected districts. This will be preceded by hydrogeological studies and location of sites for drilling. Both machine and manual borehole drilling technologies will be employed.
The project will strengthen local capacities for governance and management of WASH services, by working closely with the DWSTS and providing capacity building to develop mechanisms for data collection and use of data for decision making. WASH for Health will also use the Global Communities PACE methodology to help districts without District Water and Sanitation plans to develop some for implementation and guided improvements in the sector.
Expand key hygiene behaviors
WASH for Health seeks to expand key hygiene behaviors by facilitating the increased adoption of key messages owing to the collaborated development and use of bcc messages by relevant sector agencies like MOH, MLGRD, MWRWH, other USAID Health and nutrition projects like Communicate for Health, and The Manoff group; who are partners leading social behavior change communication. The project will draw on the existing PHAST Methodology and TIPS, a formative research technique developed by the Manoff group to pretest actual practices a project will promote.
Leverage Public Private Partnerships to Magnify the Impact of USG Investments
The project will also concretize partnerships with Rotary International and Coca Cola; USAID GDA partners by complementing the delivery of WASH services to selected communities. Other partnerships will be developed to complement the efforts of USG assistance in the march towards the realization of better health of the people of Ghana.
Improve WASH infrastructure for schools and health facilities
Finally, WASH for health in partnership with relevant bodies like the Ghana Health Service, Ministry of Health, Ghana Education Service, Ministry of Education and District Assemblies will reach out to selected schools and Health facilities without adequate WASH facilities to provide water sources, latrines and handwashing facilities depending on need. School based hygiene education activities will also be provided to improve health conditions of pupils and teachers.