Water Aid
Ghana Outlook believes in projects that help communities to help themselves, and leave an end result that is sustainable in the long term.
The water supply for around 60% of the communities in Ghana is still very basic. In many areas the supply of water is from rivers and streams. Water borne diseases are common, and can lead to ill health and death.
GO works closely with Rotary International to provide Aqua Boxes to those communities with an urgent need, and as a stop-gap until a water borehole can be funded. Each box is fitted with a water filter that cleans up to 20 refills of polluted water. This is not a permanent solution, but it does provide clean water for the short term.
A more permanent solution is the provision of a water borehole. The initial costs are greater, but the end result is the knowledge that good clean water from the water table will be freely available to the whole community.
It is our firm belief that the projects we propose are deserving of our efforts and that the community is in need of some outside help to improve the overall health of the people, particularly the children (whose bodies have the greatest difficulty in adapting to dirty water and the parasites within the water).
The Municipal Assembly has to agree to provide borehole maintenance training to the community, and to help set up a community account to enable members to contribute a small amount of money to cover maintenance costs.
The cost of one borehole is approx £4000 (January 2010), which usually equates to approx £25 per head in the community.
The nearest water borehole is usually some distance from the community and may involve up to 40 minutes walking in either direction. Water is normally required to be fetched and carried at least three times a day, and children may also have to walk along a main road to fetch the water.
The community populations are steadily growing and the provision of healthy water will be an essential contribution to the health of the community.
