GLOBAL HANDWASHING DAY OBSERVED IN GHANA-With Emphasis on Personal Hygiene

Story & Picture: Zainabu Issah

THE 2ND LADY MRS MATILDA ARTHUR ADDRESSING THE GATHERING

The Global Hand Washing Day (GHWD) was observed in Accra yesterday with a call by Mrs Matilda Amissah-Arthur, wife of the Vice-President, on the public to cultivate the attitude of ensuring personal hygiene and environmental cleanliness for long and healthy life.

Launching the fifth anniversary of the annual event,  the Second Lady said hand washing with soap was a very simple act which could save many lives, especially of children.

The day is celebrated to create more awareness on hand washing with soap as an effective and affordable way of preventing diseases.

It  is estimated that about 3.5 million child deaths are recorded as a result of preventable diseases such as diarrhoea and pneumonia.

The event forms part of the Public Private Partnership for Hand Washing With Soap Programme (PPPHW), a joint effort of the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA), the World Bank, UNICEF, WaterAid, Plan Ghana, Unilever, World Vision, and other public, development and private partners.

Mrs Amissah-Arthur said globally, diarrhoeal diseases killed up to three million children every year while in Ghana, it was one of the major causes of death and illness among children under five years of age.

Additionally, she said, reducing the incidence of diarrhoea in the country could significantly reduce the burden of health care on families.

Also, hand washing, if effectively applied, would provide a key support to reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) on sanitation.

The Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Mr E. T. Mensah, said that about 5,800 cases of cholera had been reported between January and September this year, resulting in 60 deaths.

He said even though the simple task of washing hands with soap was critical to avoiding the spread of diseases, it was also common to find people using their hands unhygienically.

“This goes to demonstrate that while the adoption of specific hygiene behaviour has proved useful in containing outbreaks of infectious diseases, it is true that the adoption of such behaviour could be difficult,” he explained.

Mr Mensah, therefore, appealed to stakeholders in the various sanitation sectors to put up strategies that would help in the promotion of hand washing with soap as a national programme.

He also called on the various health centres to promote the message of hand washing with soap as part of their daily talks with patients.

“Let us join hands in the global effort to enhance the awareness and practice of washing hands with soap at the critical times, especially after visiting the toilet and before we handle food,” he added.

Speaking on the theme, the Director of Family Health of the Ghana Health Service (GES), Dr Gloria Quansah-Asare, said more than half of under-five child deaths were due to diseases which were preventable and treatable through simple and affordable interventions like hand washing with soap.

She said hand washing with soap was the most effective and inexpensive way to prevent diarrhoeal and acute respiratory infections.

Also, she said, studies conducted in some developing countries suggested that hand washing with soap could reduce the number of pneumonia-related infection in children under age five by more that 50 per cent.

Furthermore, the perennial outbreaks of cholera in the country could greatly be eradicated if people should adopt proper hygienic practices.

Dr Quansah-Asare, therefore, urged all and sundry to consider hand washing with soap as a priority in their everyday lives.

In a speech read on his behalf, the Chief Executive Officer of the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA), Mr Clement Bugase, said hand washing with soap was a key action in protecting public health.

 He, therefore, called on stakeholders to continue to support the noble cause to achieve the objectives of the GHWD.

CONSTRUCTION OF ANGLICAN TOWERS TO BEGIN SOON

 STORY: ZAINABU ISSAH

The Archbishop of the Anglican Diocese of Accra, Most Reverend Dr Justice Yaw Ofei Akrofi , has cut the sod for the construction of a five story classroom building for the Bishop Girls High School in Accra.

The project forms part of a strategic measure to relocate the school in order to pave way for the construction of an eleven storey Anglican Bishop Towers expected to transform the skyline of the High Street central business district.

The project which would be in two phases is valued at a cost of $50,000 dollars and would begin next year.
Addressing the gathering, Most Reverend Akrofi , thanked the planning committee for their effort in securing the land for the project.

He said the school building when completed would provide among other things facilities needed for effective learning and recreational purposes.

He, however, urged them to continue to work hard and secure funding for the start of the project which would provide job opportunities during and after the construction.

The Architect for the project, Mr Prince Agbodjan told the Daily Graphic that the main specifications and features of the tower would include small meeting rooms for short term rentals, individually metered floors, and a reinforced concrete structure with glazed aluminium curtain walling among others.

He said the tower complex would also have a roof top restaurant which would face the west to the Gulf of Guinea, giving a breath taking panoramic view of the large parts of the city.

He expressed optimism that the facility when completed would add to the already existing facilities which were structured to make Accra a millennium city.

COPORATE BODIES, INDIVIDUALS SUPPORT UGBS

STORY: ZAINABU ISSAH

A number of corporate bodies and individuals have pledged to provide funding for the completion of an ongoing multi-purpose building complex at the University of Ghana Business School (UGBS).

The building, which started in August last year, when completed, will accommodate the increasing number of students who seek admission to the school.

It will also provide teaching facilities with spacious and a conducive environment for learning.

It is also planned to be  a world-class facility that will sustain the Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) programme.

The various pledges were made during the first annual dinner-dance and fund-raising organised by the UGBS in aid of the completion of the building.

Among the organisations that pledged to support the school were the Manya Krobo Rural Bank, GH¢5,000, and Nexans Kabelmetal Ghana, GH¢5,000, while rlg Communications pledged to construct a lecture theatre for the school.

Others were the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Prof Ernest Aryeetey, GH¢5,000, and Prof Bill Puplampu, US$5,000.

The event was also to celebrate the past achievements of the school in excellence and leadership in business education and draw future plans and initiatives.

It brought together old students and stakeholders who have benefited, one way or another, from the school to join hands in making the vision of the school a reality.

Speaking at the ceremony, Prof Aryeetey said GH¢3 million had so far been spent on the construction of the first phase of the building.

He said an additional GH¢7 million was needed to complete the building, adding that all and sundry should contribute their quota to the development of the school.

He lauded the efforts of the past students in contributing their quota to the development of the business community and the country as a whole.

The Dean of Students of the UGBS, Prof Kwame Ameyaw Domfeh, in his address, said the current population of the school stood at about 3,000.

Out of that, he said, more than 50 per cent were graduate students housed in the graduate building which was too small to accommodate them comfortably.

He said the situation had affected the student intake and also hindered the introduction of new programmes to fully meet the demands of the business world.

He called on individuals and organisations to come to the aid of the school and to help complete the building for better learning facilities and environment.

The Pro Vice-Chancellor in charge of the Office of Research Innovations and Development (ORID), Prof John Gyapong, who was the guest speaker for the occasion, stressed the need to promote the school for a better business environment as far as corporate Ghana was concerned.

He said graduate students were always engaged in research and learning, saying the new facility, when completed, would provide an opportunity to facilitate a better teaching and learning environment.

POLICE INTENSIFIES INVESTIGATIONS ON DROWN CHILDREN

THE Adentan District Police have intensified investigations into the circumstances leading to the alleged drowning of four children at Ashaley Botwe Lakeside Estates, near Accra on Sunday.
No suspects have been arrested yet.

But the District Police Commander, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Mr Stephen Kofi Ahiatafu, told the Daily Graphic yesterday that the police were doing everything humanly possible to unravel the mystery surrounding the death of the four children.

The bodies of the four children, Angel Agbenya, nine, Kwabena Badu,10, Richmond Armah, 11, and Fredrick Aboagye, 10, were found floating in a gutter in the community on Sunday morning. The children were reported missing on Saturday afternoon after they failed to return home from playing in the vicinity.

Mr Ahiatafu said the police would do all that they could to unravel the mystery and gave an assurance that anyone found culpable would be brought to book.

He indicated that until investigations were completed, the bodies of the children would not be released to their families.

Following the disappearance of the children on Satuday, the police caused announcements to be made on a radio station soliciting public assistance.

The police also undertook a search within the vicinity but to no avail.

They visited the various playgrounds where the children were believed  to have gone to play on Saturday until their bodies were found floating in the gutter on Sunday morning.

The bodies of the four children have been deposited at the Police Hospital for postmortem.

GHANAIANS URGED TO GO INTO ELECTIONS WITH SENTIMENTS OF LOVE

 STORY: Zainabu Issah
HUNDREDS of Ahmadiyya Muslims yesterday gathered at Bustan-E-Ahmed, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Conference Centre at Ashongman, to mark the end of the Hajj, the sacred pilgrimage to the Holy City of Mecca.

Speaking at the event, the Ameer in charge of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission, Maulvi Dr Wahab Adam, said the Prophet Abraham who was used by Allah to build the Kaa’ba, a square stone building in the centre of the Great Mosque in Mecca, was accepted by both Christians and Muslims as the Father of Prophets.

He said that fact should help bind Muslims and non-Muslims into a strong bond of brotherhood for them to become responsible for one another.

“That should engender love and affection for one another and remove all traces of hatred and animosity for one another from our minds and hearts,” he said.

Maulvi Dr Adam said it was important that Ghanaians went into the forthcoming elections with sentiments of love and affection, as well as respect and consideration.

He urged Ghanaians not to consider one another as enemies but brothers who were prepared to pool ideas, talents and energies to build a united and peaceful country.

Additionally, he said, all stakeholders should collectively work towards free, fair and transparent elections, the result of which would compel acceptance by all.

He further urged Ghanaians to pray and resolve that the elections would be peaceful to prevent the unnecessary difficulties, anguish and pain that other countries had gone through as a result of bickering that surrounded their elections.

MADAM GRACE SHARES HER STORY

STORY: ZAINABU ISSAH

THE success of every business comes through hard work and dedication, but for Madam Grace Adjei, a 39-year-old widow, a covenant with God through ceaseless prayers played a critical role in the success of her business.

Madam Adjei, a mother of six, prayed to God and entered a covenant with her Maker three years ago to bless her business to enable her cater for her children.

Her doughnut business is now booming, making her earn more income and also offer employment opportunities to some young girls and women.

Following the death of her husband eight years ago, Madam Grace, as her colleagues affectionately call her, said she lost all hope of survival as she encountered numerous problems with some family members.

She was forced to move out of her matrimonial home and is currently staying with her aunt at La in Accra, with her children.

Madam Grace who holds a Middle School Leaving Certificate learnt how to make doughnuts from a friend whom she worked with for some time. She later stopped and start her own business to enable her save enough money to fund her children’s education.

She then set up a small business venture at Adabraka on the Graphic Road, close to the Central Market, to attract customers.

She told the Daily Graphic that when she started, business was slow due to stiff competition and that made her lose hope.

“This was when I decided to enter into a covenant with God to help me succeed in my business so that I can cater for myself and my children,” she said.

In fulfilment of her sacred pact with God, Madam Grace attends church service every Sunday and pays her tithes and other offerings to God.

She now employees 18 young girls and women who sell her doughnuts at the market centres on commission basis.

She attributed the success of her business to God and urged all to do the same.

Meanwhile, Madam Grace has plans of relocating to a better place to expand her business. She said operating at a section along the Graphic Road, with the usual thick black exhaust fumes from moving vehicles which engulf the surrounding, was not the best.

She said the smoke from the fire used in frying the doughnuts and the exhaust fumes from moving vehicles made it difficult for her to breath, adding that it is also difficult for her to operate on rainy days.

She, however, advised young women and girls who experienced difficulties in their lives to always look up to God for the solutions to their problems,

One of her customers said the sale of the doughnuts had helped her to put her children through school.
Asked why she buys from Madam Grace, she explained that her attitude to her customers was great and was always very understanding with them.

“Anytime I don’t have money to pay for the doughnuts, she is ready to give it out for me to pay later. Others do not do that and she has a way of encouraging me to work hard to support myself and my family and this draws me closer to her every day,” she explained.

The life story of Madam Grace may not be different from other women who work hard to provide for their children, but this also means that women like Madam Grace should be provided with entrepreneurship training and support to enable them employ others and reduce the high rate of poverty among women in the country.

RURAL WOMEN CONTRIBUTE TO POVERTY REDUCTION

Story: Zainabu Issah

The 23rd special Session on the United Nations General Assembly in 2000 drew attention to the large number of rural women working in the informal sector with low levels of income, little job and social security, with low or no access to land or inheritance rights.

It emphasised the need for rural women’s equal access to productive resources such as land, capital, credit and technology, gainful employment and decision-making, as well as access to education and health services.
The Assembly’s resolution 64/140 recognised the crucial role of rural women in enhancing agricultural and rural development, improving food security and eradicating rural poverty, as well as the vital contribution they make to the well being and development of the families and communities.

The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) has consistently addressed issues related to the situation of rural women, and these were equally highlighted in the Commission’s 15-year review of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. The important role and contribution of rural women was again emphasised in the General Assembly Council’s 2010 Ministerial Declaration, which called for concerted action to support rural women’s economic empowerment.

To advance these objectives, this year’s Rural Women’s Day celebration was observed on the theme; “Empowerment and the Role of Rural Women in Poverty and Hunger Eradication”.

In Accra, the Farmers Organisation Network in Ghana (FONG) and the Development Action Association (DAA), in collaboration with the United Nations Women, organised a forum to mark the event at Amasaman in the Ga West Municipal Assembly to highlight the need to recognise and change the imbalance between rural and urban women.

Speaking at the celebrations, the Deputy Minister for Women and Children’s Affairs, Hajia  Hawawu Boya Gariba, said despite the attention given to rural women in international frameworks, women in rural areas continued to face serious  challenges in carrying out their multiple roles within their families and communities.

She said their rights and priorities were often not sufficiently addressed by national development strategies adding that, “People’s awareness of women’s roles and gender equality is still limited.”

Furthermore, she said women and girls in rural, ethnic and remote areas were particularly disadvantaged compared to those in urban areas who had better access to education, job opportunities, information and good living standards.

Hajia Boya affirmed the government’s commitment to gender equality and women’s empowerment through the implementation of  policies and programmes, and said one of the critical strategies that the government was pursuing to eradicate poverty and pave way for sustainable development was ensuring access to basic services for rural women.

She lauded the efforts of rural women and their contribution to local and national economies in the fields of agriculture, including farming, fishing and forestry in addition to household livelihoods.

She said investing in rural women and girls led to progress towards the eradication of poverty and hunger, improving health conditions and achieving internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) by 2015.

The leader of FONG/DAA, Madam Lydia Sasu, in her remarks said women over the years have had to innovate to reduce hunger and poverty.

She called for support for rural women in the various regions and districts in the country for increased participation in decision-making.

The Municipal Chief Executive for Amasaman, Mr Ebenezer Nii Armah Tackie, said economically, women contributed immensely towards the country’s economic development hence the need to empower women and explore their role in poverty and hunger eradication as well as development challenges.

He said although the informal sector had been recognised as having the potential for providing alternative employment opportunities and providing social benefit towards the country’s developmental efforts, women’s participation in this area had not been satisfactory, adding that “We must go beyond looking at women as home keepers and child bearers, and totally appreciate their involvement in national development”.

The United States Agency for International Development (USIAD) Ghana Mission Director , Ms Cheryl Anderson, in her address said the USAID remained committed  to supporting the empowerment of women, especially rural women in Ghana.


She said the agency was currently supporting women’s involvement in the democratic process with the training of queens in advocacy, communications and in leadership to influence policy.