The Wuni Zaligu Development Association (WUZDA) has donated nine ‘Veronica’ hand washing cans, three plastic drinking containers and three cartons of soap to three basic schools in the Tamale Metropolis.
The donations which were done through an initiation from the Tamale Central Sub metro, was to promote sanitation and hygiene in schools and to inculcate in school children the need to observe hand washing with soap and running water.
The schools that benefitted from the complementary gesture by WUZDA are the Wataniya E/A, Methodist (Kulikuli) and Central Zaharia primary schools all in the Tamale Metropolis.
In a short speech before receiving the donations on behalf of the schools, the Tamale Metropolitan CLTS Focal person and the initiator of the whole process, Mr. Muaz Mohammed Kamil said there are a lot of constraints including financial, with the sanitation institutions when it comes to the provision of basic WASH facilities to support schools achieve proper sanitation.
According to him, the outfits that have the mandate to ensure adequacy in the availability of these basic WASH facilities sometimes have their hands tied because of these challenges.
Mr. Muaz noted that after identifying the challenges some schools face for lack of these basic facilities to promote good sanitation, he approached WUZDA knowing the organization’s interest and continuous contributions to the WASH sector in communities and in institutions like schools.
WASH Training Coordinator at WUZDA, Mr. Ibrahim Abdul Ganiyu outlined some key reasons why the organization continues to consider providing support in terms of basic facilities and training on handling, maintenance for sustainability and general WASH practices in schools and communities.
Mr. Ganiyu said it is a priority knowing as an organization that deals in WASH, you have contributed to improving sanitation levels in your operational areas and beyond, thereby contributing to the reduction of OPD cases in health facilities.
He noted that achieving this huge goal can begin from basic schools where good personal hygiene and general sanitation practices can be instilled into pupils and students to make them grow with them and also educate their parents and other community members on the outcomes or otherwise of negative sanitation practices.
On maintenance and sustainability of the facilities, Mr. Ganiyu intimated that “the only thing that will make me proud as a person will be to follow up in your schools after this donation, to see proper handling and use of the facilities”.
He charged the beneficiary schools to sustain the practice of
proper hand washing with soap, even after the soap provided by WUZDA is exhausted.
He pointed to a simple way schools can raise funds to purchase soap to continue with the practice and also be able to maintain the facilities through contributions from parents during Parent/ Teacher Association meetings.
Programme Manager, Mr. Abdul Karim Ziblim revealed that WUZDA has in its planning, to partner the various sub metro offices beginning with the Tamale Central Sub metro, to look for ways of raising funds to help construct modern latrines and maintain already existing ones into modern facilities which come with dressing rooms where the girl child can change during her menstrual period without having to run home or consider not going to school at all during this period.
He said as part of the plans, water facilities are also very necessary because there cannot be proper sanitation and hygiene without the availability of clean water.
Mr. Abdul Karim also encouraged the students to learn about proper WASH practices from their Schools’ Health Education clubs who are mostly trained by NGOs and professional health officials.
The Wuni Zaligu Development Association has so far in 2016 donated basic WASH facilities and items to five education institutions including the Tamale Polytechnic.
WUZDA Ghana 