THREE YENDI SCHOOLS GET RAINWATER TANKS (PAGE 42, DEC 8, 2010)

THREE primary schools in the Yendi municipality of the Northern Region have been provided with 30,000-litre capacity rainwater harvesting tanks.
The gesture is to enhance the capacity of the schools and communities to store rainwater for use during the dry season to avoid the dependence on unhygienic sources of water, which usually causes water-borne diseases.
The schools are located at 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.
Inaugurating the tank at the Gnani Municipal Assembly Primary School, the Country Director of CCFC, Madam Sanatu Nantogma estimated the cost of construction of the three tanks at 11, 945 Canadian dollars.
She stated that the CCFC focused much on the provision of rainwater tanks because people in rural communities did not have access to potable pipe-borne water.
Madam Nantogma explained that the provision of rainwater tanks to schools was aimed at promoting hygiene among schoolchildren, adding that lack of water made it difficult for children to practise regular hand washing.
She further stated that when clean water was available to children, it decreased their vulnerability to sanitation-related diseases.
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, Mr Joshua Salifu Mogri, commended Eaglecom Foundation and the CCFC for partnering to provide such facilities for rural communities, adding that it 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.