19th November, 2022 which is World Toilet Day has been observed in the Volta Regional Capital Ho, in addition was the Open Defecation Free Celebration of Mawuli Estate, an urban community in Ho.
The theme for 2022 is “Making the invisible visible, the impact of sanitation crisis on surface and underground water systems”.
Present at the event were dignitaries including The Volta Regional Minister, The Regional Environmental Health and Sanitation Director, The Municipal Chief Executive, UNICEF representatives, the clergy, chiefs, development partners, members of the Mawuli Estate Community, invited guests, school children and the general public.
The Chairman for the programme, Chief of Akrofu, Mankrado Agbotse III saw to the smooth running of the day’s activitities.
The Ho Municipal Chief Executive, Hon. Divine R. K Bosson giving the welcome address gave some statistics of the toilet situation in the municipality. He acknowledged the efforts of the Mawuli Estate Community. He stressed that Ho is the proudest and enviable municipality in the whole of Ghana for having the first urban community with an ODF status. “Mawuli Estate’s attainment of Open Defecation Free status is meaningless unless it is linked with the total municipality attainment of ODF”, he added.
Mr Darkey Mensah of EDSAM took the audience through journey of Mawuli Estate attainment of ODF.
The Unit Committee Member of the Mawuli Estate Community, Mr Jacob Fenteng took the audience through the steps the community took before reading the Open Defecation Free status, the number 1 urban community in the whole of Ghana.
Madam Stella Kumedzro, the Volta Regional Environmental Health and Sanitation Director, in delivering the keynote address, said that the subject of toilet and sanitation is surrounded by silence, which must be discouraged.
Madam Kumedzro gave statistics of available and required number of toilets in the Volta Region, and the need for proper sanitation.
She charged the audience to change the narrative and break the vicious cycle of poor sanitation. She explained the measures put in place to put sanitation in check through the work of sanitary officers and the relevant authorities.
In his address, the Special Guest of honour, The Regional Minister, Hon. Dr. Archibald Letsa explained the need to have household and institutional toilets. He advised the churches in the Mawuli Estate Community to make some of their washrooms available for strangers. He commended the churches for their support to the community which he is a resident. He pledged work on the Mawuli Estate roads.
The Volta Regional Minister acknowledged the chiefs and people of Akrofu for donating land for the building of facilities such as Liquid Waste Treatment Plant, Integrated Recycling and Compositing Plant. He added that to meet the capacity of the recycling plant at Akrofu, all roads leading to Akrofu will be worked on.
The Mawuli Estate Community was presented with an Open Defecation Free certificate.
There were solidarity addresses from the development partners and collaborators, that is EDSAM, UNICEF, Jekora Ventures, Weto Rural Bank, etc.
There were performances from various schools.
There was an exhibition of prototype toilets, septic tanks, and products from some of the development partners.
One on one, with Madam Ocran, the UNICEF representative, revealed that the funds for the project was provided by the Kingdom of Netherlands through the UNICEF.
All the speakers emphasized on putting in efforts to sustain the ODF status of the Mawuli Estate Community.
In his closing remarks, Togbe Agbotse Kwasi III thanked all present for their participation and comportment. He invited people from far and near to come to Akrofu for lands for their projects.
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