Commemoration of World Toilet Day: Ashaiman residents sensitised to good hygiene, sanitation practices

Residents of Ashaiman in the Greater Accra Region have been sensitised to good sanitation, safe management of sanitation practices, and general hygiene as part of activities to commemorate this year’s World Toilet Day.

The event was organised by Plan International Ghana, an NGO, as part of activities to celebrate the day under a broad initiative dubbed “Stronger Together Project”.

It aimed to educate people on the negative effects of open defecation and other insanitary practices on their health and national economy. 

Event

The day is commemorated on November 19, every year to inspire actions to tackle global sanitation crises and also support the 3.5 billion people still living without safely managed sanitation systems.  

The theme for this year’s celebration was: "Toilets – A place for peace,” highlighting the importance of sanitation and sustainable solutions.

The Project Manager of Stronger Together Project, Daniel Agbetenoto, said his outfit was implementing the initiative to improve the health status of beneficiaries and also provide economic opportunities.

“We are doing a lot more advocacy with this project, but when it comes to engagement with government institutions such as the assembly, this is what we do to help push them to provide facilities in communities for the people.

“If we don't help to improve our sanitary conditions, we all know what the problems will be. We will have issues such as cholera and malaria and other related diseases that come with it,” he added.  

Mr Agbetenoto further said that despite efforts towards addressing the menace, open defecation still persisted largely because many people did not have the requisite facilities in their communities, so they resorted to easing themselves wherever they found convenient.

He, therefore, called on the government and other stakeholders to implement policies and programmes to help provide toilets and washroom facilities for communities across the country to curb the menace. 
 

Advice

The Municipal Coordinating Director of Ashaiman, Banini Dzorgbenyui Kwadzo, advised the people to effectively manage toilet facilities in their homes and communities.

He said there was the need to intensify public education on the importance of proper toilet management, adding that better sanitation was crucial for both the individual well-being and the country's broader development goals.

The director further stressed the need for a holistic approach to sanitation management, and advocated systems that collected, transported and utilised waste sustainably.

"We need facilities that not only collect waste but also transform it into useful resources such as energy and organic fertilisers.

“This could help reduce our dependency on chemical fertilisers and promote environmental sustainability," he said.