The Ho Municipal Environmental Health and Sanitation Department in Ghana has launched a sustainable sanitation school health club with a call on young people to help keep the environment clean and safe.
The programme forms part of the Municipal Assembly’s Dry Toilet project aimed at promoting the use of Urine Divert Dry Toilet (UDDT) for a sustainable environment.
The project started in 2015 with funding support from Global Dry Toilet Association, Finland.
The club was launched in eight selected Basic Schools in the Municipality, including Regional Model School Complex, Ho Technical University Basic School, Anglican Basic School, Ho Housing M/A Basic School, Freetown Basic School, Kpenoe E. P Primary, Nyive M/A School and Atikpui R. C School.
These Basic Schools, Ho Technical University and School of Hygiene are beneficiaries of the UDDT.
Madam Comfort Sunu, Deputy Municipal Environmental Health Officer, encouraged the citizens to embrace the idea to construct the UDDT in their homes to safeguard the environment.
She said a collective effort was required to ensure that the country’s quest for a clean and safe environment was achieved.
Madam Sunu underscored the need to inculcate into the young people the habit of keeping and maintaining the environment clean to forestall the outbreak of diseases.
She said the club was expected to play an advocacy role to let parents and other citizens be aware of the dry toilet and its numerous benefits and the need to always live in a healthy environment.
Mr Augustus Awity, Ho Municipal Coordinating Director (MCD), who launched the club, said the project was dear to the heart of the Assembly, saying the Assembly was working assiduously for the Municipality to attain Open Defecation Free (ODF) status by 2030.
He said it was important for all to take a key interest in promoting good sanitation so we could remain healthy and productive to accelerate the growth of the country.
Mr Awity urged the learners to serve as good ambassadors to carry out the message to their parents and peers on the need to have dry toilets at home and avoid littering the environment respectively.
Personal hygiene is of the essence, he said and charged the learners to hold it in high esteem so they would be in good health to take over the affairs of the country in future.
Mr Felix Bosonkui, a representative of Regional Environmental Health Officer, Madam Stella Kumedzro, said posterity would judge the current generation if it failed to safeguard the environment.
Some pupils who spoke to Ghana News Agency (GNA), said they were happy about the launch and hoped to learn more regarding good sanitation and personal hygiene during club meetings.
Miss Naadia Ahmed Kuglenu, a Primary five pupil of HTU Basic School, told the GNA that pledged to educate her colleagues to keep the environment clean as people could get sick due to poor environmental practices.
Some teachers said the club would play a vital role in promoting good sanitation in the beneficiary schools for healthy living.
They commended the Municipal Environmental Health and Sanitation Department for its determination and commitment towards improving sanitation in the Municipality.
Mr Selorm Delali Ogordor, School Health Education Programme (SHEP) Coordinator at HTU Basic School, said the launch was a step in the right direction to ensure a clean country.
