Rotary, USAID Empowers Community Sanitation, Water Leaders

Rotary International (RI) in collaboration with USAID has organized a day training recently for Water and Sanitation Management Team (WSMT) members from selected communities.

The participants were from their project communities within the GA South Municipality of the Greater Accra.

The beneficiary communities are Hobor Congo, Nsuobri No. 2, Obinfo, Bosoafise, Adorfokrom, and Tebu Agbi.

The session forms part of RI - USAID Partnering for Impact Water and Sanitation Project.

Objectives of the session were basically to instill Community Leadership, Advocacy and Ownership skills in community members since these are a key component of the WASH project which is also intended to better their lot with physical water and Sanitation facilities.

The $4 million projects has seen the construction of 10 boreholes fitted with hand pumps and 4 community or institutional toilets in 9 selected communities of the stated Municipality.

The construction of the facilities was done in conjunction with the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) and Global Communities.

Funding for the project which was provided by both RI and USAID had participants being schooled on different modules of leadership, team building, resource mobilizing and volunteerism, advocacy skills, as well as the need for action-oriented plans that will bring positive change in their various communities.

Due to the need to ensure ownership and sustainability of the water and sanitation facilities the team members were taken through sessions on Ghana's water, sanitation, and environment policies as well as the citizens' roles and responsibilities in the scheme of things.

In an interview, Mr. Ako Odotei, Host Organization Committee Chairman noted the essence of the meeting was to equip the WSMT members with leadership, advocacy, and volunteerism skills among others so that they become empowered and advocates for change in their communities.

"It's important that members of our community are trained for them to have a sense of ownership of facilities that are constructed in communities. In so doing they will see to the protection, become caretakers of such facilities and assist in the mobilization of resources to maintain them at all times".

He further indicated that he was thrilled with the sense of maturity and involvement of the participants in the training and management of facilities in their various communities.

On her part, Madam Naana Agyemena - Mensah, Lead - Advocacy Chair taking the participants through a session on leadership tasked the members not to be autocratic, be open-minded, be team players, communicate well among themselves, be accountable, delegate duties and work within the structures so as to achieve the aims and objectives set out by the team members.

"Good leadership must be able to identify people with potential so as to tap into their qualities at the community level since at the end its the community that stands the greater chance to benefit".

She advised participants to have a listening ear, respect other's views, have compassion, and provide information at all times to avoid conflicts among themselves.

Both Messrs Theophilus Mensah, Project Manager and Rockson Dutenya, Advocacy Consultant took members on Community Water and Sanitation Agency standards on WASH and the rudiments for team building at all times.

The WSMT leaders were thankful to the organizers for the training with a promise to adhere to what they have learned.

Madam Naana Agyeman - Mensah, taking participants through a session on vision, commitment and action