A solar-powered mechanised borehole has been inaugurated to ensure access to potable water for the Sukaya M/A Primary
School, and the Sukaya community in the Gushegu Municipality of the Northern Region.
The facility comprised three overheads tanks with fetching points; one sited at the school and two sited at vantage points in the community, and a two-seater KVIP and two-unit urinal sited at the school.
It was provided by Markaz-Al-Bishara Child Development Programme (MABCDP) as part of its Water for Education project, funded by Children Believe, an international non-governmental organisation, to amongst others address water, sanitation and hygiene needs of the area. Mr Joshua Sayibu, Partner Programme Manager at MABCDP, speaking during
the handing over of the facility to the people at Sukaya, said the facility was to ensure that children in the area had access to quality basic necessities to enable them achieve their full potentials in life.
Mr Sayibu said, “We are here to meet one of the greatest needs of the community, which has been a burden to us also as an organisation in our 15 years of service in this community. This project is unique in a sense that it is
targeting access and quality in four main intervention areas; educational support to the children of Sukaya, promoting health status of people in this community, improving sanitation and personal hygiene in the community and empowering community members’ economic status.”
Sukaya, a farming community with about 900 population, does not have water during the dry season forcing residents to walk long distances in search of the commodity hence the decision to provide them with the solar-powered
mechanised borehole.
Mr Sayibu said “The project has supported 25 junior high school students in the community with bicycles and school back packs, 25 standard dual desks for the school to meet the furniture deficits, and promoted community-led total
sanitation leading to community cleanliness and households constructing latrines.”
Reverend Johnson Asare, Programe Leader of MABCDP said the MABCDP’s interventions had brought transformation to the community calling on parents to work to promote the welfare of their children to become responsible citizens.
Mrs Esenam Kavi De Souza, Country Director of Children Believe said the provision of the water facility would make the school environment conducive for the children while improving hygiene practices.
She appealed to the Ghana Education Service to post more teachers to the school to teach the children since the water challenge had been resolved.
She emphasised need for members of the community to ensure regular maintenance of the facility to serve generations.
Mr Yaja Dawuni Robert, Gushegu Municipal Chief Executive said the water facility was important as the people would no longer be exposed to water-borne diseases adding it would improve educational outcome of children in the area.
He expressed gratitude to MABCDP and Children Believe for their support to the community over the years saying it had impacted positively on the lives of the people of the area.
Mr Ahmed Tijani Hassan, Gushegu Municipal Director of Education said the provision of the water facility amongst other interventions by the partners complemented government’s efforts at ensuring access to quality education in
the area.
He assured that efforts would be made to post more teachers to the school.
Ubor Yakubu Karim, Chief of Sukaya expressed gratitude to the partners for providing the facility for his community saying it had addressed one of the community’s major needs.
He appealed to the government to connect the community to the national grid as well as construct the access road to the area.