The government has been urged to prioritise the provision of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) infrastructure and services to rural communities and public places to empower women and help bridge the gender gap.
As part of activities commemorating this year’s International Women’s Day, some women from the Upper East Region who made the call noted that such a move would be an innovative investment in empowering them to contribute sustainably to the growth of the economy.
The International Women’s Day was organised by WaterAid Ghana in Bolgatanga, a WASH-focused organisation, as part of its strategy to empower communities and women to lead advocacy for investment in the provision of WASH services to achieve gender equality.
It brought together more than 40 women from the Kassena-Nankana and Builsa North Municipalities, and Kassena-Nankana West and Bongo Districts.
Ms Rose Anabiolie Adzuik, a woman from Bilinsa community in the Builsa North Municipality, noted that the burden of collecting water for domest
ic use continued to rest on women in rural communities; however, many communities in the area did not have boreholes.
She said the situation compelled many women and girls to spend several hours trekking long distances in search of potable water, denying them the opportunity to be educated and undertake economic ventures including trading and farming to support themselves.
‘The women are suffering too much because of water; they do not have boreholes within their communities, so they have to go to the dam or streams to fetch water which is usually contaminated with chemicals due to fishing and open defecation,’ she said.
Ms Janet Awaregya, a woman from the Wuru community in the Kassena-Nankana Municipality, noted that apart from the fact that many communities did not have boreholes, many schools and health facilities did not also have running water.
She said the situation was worse in the schools where girls menstruating did not get water and decent places to clean and change and that compelled many girls
to stay away from school.
‘Most of our health facilities do not have running water and when a pregnant woman comes to deliver, their relatives would have to always search for water from long distances, and it is affecting us the women,’ she added.
Ms Mary Atanga, a woman from the Anafobisi community in the Bongo District, noted that open defecation was rampant in the area due to the fact that many households lacked latrines and noted that there was the need for the government to prioritise the provision of toilet facilities to help end the open defecation menace.
She said apart from a lack of household latrines, many healthcare facilities and other public places like schools and marketplaces did not also have toilet facilities, compelling patrons to defecate in the open.
‘Sometimes, pregnant women will visit the health facility and there is no place for them to free themselves. Apart from that our markets do not have toilet facilities and people are forced to defecate in the open, and you cannot blame the
m even though we sell foodstuff in the market,’ she added.
Ms Fauzia Aliu, the Acting Policy, and Campaigns Manager, at WaterAid Ghana, noted that women had good potential to contribute to the sustainable growth of the economy, however, numerous challenges including a lack of WASH infrastructure and services, continue to hinder their progress.
She said for the country to achieve gender equality and the Sustainable Development Goals, there was a need for the government to invest in women by providing WASH infrastructure and services to every community and urged the women to join the advocacy in demanding their WASH rights.
Source: Ghana News Agency