THREE YENDI SCHOOLS GET RAINWATER TANKS

Three primary schools in the Yendi Municipality of the Northern Region have been provided with 30,000-litre capacity rainwater harvesting tanks.

This is to enhance the capacity of the schools and communities to store rainwater for use during the dry season so as avoid the dependence on unhygienic sources of water, which usually spark the incidence of water borne diseases.

The schools are located in Gnani, Zakoli and Kpalba, which are rural communities where access to potable water is greatly hindered.

The tanks were provided by the Christian Children’s Fund of Canada (CCFC) under the Tuma Kavi Development Programme with funding from Eaglecom Foundation, a Canadian-based communications company.

Commissioning the tank at the Gnani MA Primary School, the Country Director of the CCFC, Sanatu Nantogma estimated the cost of construction of the three tanks at 11, 945 Canadian dollars.

She pointed out that the CCFC focused much on the provision of rainwater tanks because people in rural communities did not have access to safe drinking water.

Madam Nantogma explained that the provision of rainwater tanks to schools was aimed at promoting hygiene among school children, adding that the lack of water made it difficult for children to practice regular hand washing.

She further mentioned that when clean water is available to children, it decreases their vulnerability to sanitation-related diseases.

The director again noted that rainwater harvesting was a less costly method of utilising rainwater for domestic use and other purposes.

“Each year, the rains fall heavily and we allow it to flow to waste. However, with these tanks, you could store some of the water and use it when it is most needed,” she stated.

Madam Nantogma said the CCFC was very much involved in enhancing the welfare of rural communities, particularly women and children.

“Our priority areas of intervention are health, education, water and sanitation. And as we do these, we also try to empower the women through micro-finance,” she added.

The Programme Officer for Tuma Kavi, Joshua Salifu Mogri commended Eaglecom Foundation and the CCFC for partnering to provide such facilities for rural communities, adding that this would help uplift the people from abject poverty.

He said Tuma Kavi would continue to work with the CCFC to better the lives of rural folks in the areas of education, health and water and sanitation.