This project aims to improve the health of up to 47,000 Ghanaians, including mothers, their newborns and 4,500 schoolchildren, in Bongo and Bawku West districts. It seeks to improve water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) service delivery and practices, as well as to develop a more integrated approach to public health in the Upper East Region. The project provides environmentally-friendly sanitation facilities and access to potable water to schools and health facilities, raises awareness among birth attendants, health service staff and community members, and develops a new approach to public health planning. Project activities include: (1) designing and constructing safe and gender-appropriate water and sanitation facilities (including biofill and biogas latrines, solar-powered pumps and mechanized boreholes) in 15 schools and 8 health facilities; (2) raising awareness about WASH and preventative health practices in 15 schools and 8 health facilities; (3) training authorities in two districts, five small towns and three rural communities to deliver, implement and monitor integrated WASH and health planning; and (4) holding WASH and health workshops for district, regional and national-level stakeholders, including for private sector where appropriate, to facilitate linkages and allow sharing of best practices.
The expected intermediate outcomes for this project include: (1) improved maternal, newborn and child health, and public health outcomes, in Bongo and Bawku West districts through improved water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) service delivery and practices; and (2) strengthened and integrated health, water and sanitation planning in the target districts, and dissemination of best practices at a regional level.
