Community-led total sanitation training to help eliminate open defecation – Official

The Monitoring and Evaluation Officer for the Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) Programme in the Volta Region and the Volta Learning and Capacity Centre (VLCC), Mr. Felix Bosonkui, has called for sustained efforts to eliminate open defecation and promote improved sanitation practices across communities.

Speaking to the media after the successful completion of a four-day Community-Led Total Sanitation training workshop held in collaboration with the Kpando Municipal Assembly from June 9 to June 12, Mr. Bosonkui said the CLTS approach empowers communities to identify their sanitation challenges and take collective action towards achieving improved environmental health outcomes.

According to him, the training sought to strengthen the capacity of participants drawn from the Environmental Health and Sanitation Units of various Municipal Assemblies, Planning Units, Physical Planning Departments, Community Development and Social Welfare Departments, as well as other stakeholders within the sanitation sector.

He explained that participants undertook practical field exercises in Sovie Kudzra on the final day of the workshop, where live triggering sessions were successfully conducted to encourage behaviour change and community ownership of sanitation issues.

“We are optimistic that in the near future the community will attain Open Defecation-Free (ODF) status, where residents will no longer resort to open defecation but will construct and consistently use household toilet facilities under hygienic conditions,” he stated.

Mr. Bosonkui stressed that the eradication of open defecation remains a national priority and urged Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to invest resources in the continuous training of Environmental Health Officers to intensify sanitation and hygiene education at the community level.

He noted that open defecation poses significant public health threats due to the spread of disease-causing pathogens such as Vibrio cholerae and Salmonella typhi, which are responsible for cholera and typhoid fever respectively. According to him, Ghana loses more than 290 million dollars annually through health-related costs associated with poor sanitation and preventable diseases, underscoring the need for greater investment in environmental sanitation interventions.

He added that government's renewed commitment to improving sanitation nationwide comes at an opportune time and called on all stakeholders to collaborate in building healthier communities and enhancing national productivity.

Delivering the closing remarks, the Kpando Municipal Chief Executive, Hon. Killian Donkor, urged participants to educate communities on the fact that sanitation is a shared responsibility and that every citizen is a sanitation officer. He emphasized the need for residents to appreciate the dangers associated with open defecation and work collectively towards ending the practice.

“There is the need for all of us to discipline ourselves and adopt proper sanitation practices to safeguard public health and protect the environment,” he stated.

Hon. Donkor further advised Environmental Health Officers to foster unity and teamwork in the discharge of their duties, stressing that without collaboration, the objectives of the training workshop would not be fully realized.

He assured participants of the Kpando Municipal Assembly's unwavering support and pledged the Assembly's readiness to provide the necessary assistance to enable officers effectively carry out their mandate. The workshop was attended by key facilitators including the Volta Regional Environmental Health Officer, Madam Stella Kumedzro; the Volta Regional CLTS Focal Person, Mr. Festus Tagbodza; and the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer for the CLTS Programme in the Volta Region, Mr. Felix Bosonkui. The programme was hosted by the Kpando Municipal Environmental Health Director, Mr. Peter Pariki-Kwashie.

The four-day capacity-building programme forms part of efforts aimed at strengthening environmental sanitation management and accelerating progress towards achieving Open Defecation-Free communities within the municipality and beyond.