WaterAid Ghana in collaboration with ActionAid Global Platform has organized a day’s workshop for over 20 stakeholders on the COVID-19 pandemic and how it affected the living standards of people economically and socially across the country.
The workshop aims at discussing government contingency Plans, Initiatives and measures of the Assemblies to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the districts and municipalities. The workshop, with support from the Afram Plains Development Organization (APDO) brought together representatives from the Ghana Education Service, Ghana Health Service, the District Assembly, community representatives, Key staff in Health Care Facilities (HCF) trained and rolling out hygiene campaign.
Participants were taken through topics such as; approaches to integrate hygiene practices in reducing the risk involved with the contraction of the COVID-19 pandemic, human right based approaches, Infection, Prevention and Control (IPC) among others.
The Officer in Charge of Policy and Advocacy, WaterAid Ghana, Ms Fauzia Aliu in her presentation said a project known as hygiene campaign was launched by WaterAid and was funded by the Department for International Development (DFID) and UNILEVER to support government’s efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19.
She said the project was being carried out in six districts and municipalities across five regions in Ghana; Wa Municipality, (Upper West), Bongo and Kassena Nankana West (Upper East Region), Nanumba South (Northern Region), Kwahu Afram Plains North (Eastern Region) and Ablekuma Central Municipal (Greater Accra Region).
Ms. Aliu said the project had so far engaged over 150 stakeholders in all the six districts and municipalities they visited where participants were sensitized on how to embed Hygiene Behavior Change (HBC) as an approach to hygiene campaigns in communities for COVID-19 prevention.
She said the aim of the project was to motivate people to practise personal hygiene and social protective behaviors during this era of the COVID-19 pandemic.
She said through the project, Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) were donated to district assemblies, schools, health institutions, communities and public place to help minimize the spread of the pandemic.
Ms Aliu noted that the spread of COVID-19 to all parts of the world including; Ghana was however affecting all facets of human life with serious implications on district and national policies, hence the support with the fight against the disease.
She therefore promised of the organization’s intervention to continue to influence policy makers, raise awareness and to promote responsiveness and accountability of local government authorities to help reduce the impact of COVID-19.
Mr. George Kwabena Yorke, the Head of Policy, Advocacy and Campaigns for WaterAid Ghana was hopeful the programme would help influence stakeholders to deliver a sustainable, inclusive and equitable hygiene behavior response to Covid-19 in their respective environments and to achieve an increased public resource allocation for the fight against COVID-19.
He therefore urged the participants to impact the knowledge they have acquired at the workshop to help spread the need for the citizenry to practice good personal hygiene practices in communities across the Afram Plains North District and beyond.
