The journey for water: In Ghana, creating lasting change in water and sanitation

On a regular day, Adisa Abdul Rhaman would attend to her household chores of cleaning and preparing food for her family. Then, she would leave home for her sewing shop. As a seamstress and petty trader, she would have a lot on her schedule each day, making sure she satisfies her clients with the best of services. This required attention to detail, and a lot of time. After a hard day’s work, Adisa would return home, usually exhausted.  

At the end of each day at the shop, another one would begin at home.  Her schedule to make sure water is available at home required Adisa to travel some 1.5 kilometres to fetch from a stream. After a hectic day, walking to get water was another strenuous task. “It was really difficult for me,” she says. “I was always rushing home from work. That was stressful.”  

That was then. 

Today, Adisa, a 28-year-old mother of five, no longer rushes from work. Fetching water is less stressful. Moreover, water is easily accessible, reliable and safe.  

Adisa lives in Ward K, a community in northern Ghana. Hers is one of 265 communities that have benefited from a joint UN programme on water and sanitation, which targets disaster-prone communities. The agencies involved are UN-Habitat, UNDP, WHO and UNICEF, and the programme is funded through Global Affairs Canada. 

Under the programme, communities like Ward K have either had their water pipeline systems restored or have received newly-built water stations that can withstand the hazards of floods. For Adisa, the two water stations that were restored are all within proximity of her house, making it convenient for her and the entire community of 2000 residents to have access to clean and safe portable water.

Ward K has also benefitted from a hand-washing station which has been constructed to serve the community in response to the national COVID-19 initiative. 

For many women like Adisa in the communities benefiting from the project, the installation of accessible and reliable water facilities is lifesaving. Northern Ghana is predominantly low-lying, resulting in perennial flooding. Poor infrastructure and poor hygiene and sanitation make people in such communities vulnerable to infections, illness, loss of livelihoods, lack of farmlands and school closures.  

“Issues of water and sanitation can be life threatening, especially when disaster occurs” says the Country Representative of the UNFPA, Mr. Niyi Ojuolape.  

Adisa is evidence that the project works. While retrieving water one day, she says,

“Look at me, I am now comfortable and more relaxed. I spend more time at work without stress.” 

The water is inexpensive: In some communities, one will pay as little as 10 pesewas — or less than 2 cents USD — for a 20-litre container of water.  

To ensure the sustainability of the facilities, each community benefiting from the programme has established a management committee. Palabe Dorcas Kolan is the local manager of the facility at Jabidawuur, a small town in northeastern Ghana.  

Palabe said water used to be scarce in her community until the UN and partners constructed a solar-powered borehole water station for her community. “We actually fought over water anytime we went to the stream for water. Thanks to the United Nations and partners, we no longer fight for water. My people pay for the water here,” she explains. “We save the money for when it will become necessary to use the funds to repair any damage.” 

“We succeeded in this programme because of the UN’s coordination role, bringing all stakeholders together to connect with the people in the community,” says Mr. Eric Chimsi, Development Officer at the Canadian High Commission. 

The core of the 3-year joint UN programme was to build resilient water and sanitation infrastructure that prevents vulnerability to natural disasters such as flooding, while also allowing for social inclusion and universal access to other essential services. At the end of the three-year programme, much has been achieved and people like Adisa and Palabe are relieved from the hassle of fetching water.  

“Our people’s mindset on sanitation and response to floods have also shifted,” says Alhaji Wahab, the Regional Environmental Health Officer of the Savannah Region. “They are now able to take quick decisions and actions to save their communities from floods.”  

Produced by UN in Ghana. Written by Cynthia Prah, UNIC Accra/RCO Communications, with editorial support by Paul VanDeCarr, Development Coordination Office. To learn more about the work taking place in Ghana, visit: https://ghana.un.org/. To learn more about the results of our work in this area and beyond, please visit the UNSDG Chair Report on DCO.