Nestlé partners Red Cross Society in community water project

A sustainable water system has been installed for the Fenaso Nkwanta community in the Ashanti region under the Ghana Sustainable Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Project (Ghana-WASH).

The Gh60,000 project is a partnership between the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and Nestlé, with Ghana Red Cross Society (GRCS) as the implementing partner.

Head of Business Operations at Ghana Red Cross, Dr. Eric Asamoal Darko, said the project has goal of ensuring local communities have access to reliable safe water.

He explained that a technology has been introduced under the project which works like mobile phone recharge cards.

“An amount is loaded on the card which serves as access material to fetch water. The amount generated from the token paid will be used for maintenance to sustain the project”.

The community is excited at the intervention, as it will ease challenges in travelling long distances and staying in queue for a long period to access water.

According to Odikro Nana Yaw Asare, population growth in the community has put stress on existing water facilities.

The new facility therefore comes as a relief.
The community has appealed for an additional facility to meet the growing demand for potable water.

Ashanti regional manager of Ghana Red Cross, Michael Kwame Asante, described the pre-paid water system as unique due to the ease and affordability of fetching water.

“The idea is to give the community sustainable access to potable water,” he said.

Ghana-WASH has the goal of providing access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene promotion in the project communities.

The project aims to improve health status and resilience of 52 cocoa producing communities in rural and semi urban areas of Eastern and Ashanti region, through the provision of safe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services.

The project is expected to reach 51,840 people with health and hygiene education services; 34,750 people with sanitation facilities; 43,500 with water supply facilities and improved capacity of 1300 staff and community volunteers to manage and maintain WASH services in the targeted communities.