Ghana
Context
Ghana is one of the most densely populated countries in West Africa. Since the adoption of a new constitution in 1993 Ghana has become more politically stable, but a history of coups, food shortages and corruption means the country remains poor and indebted.
The three northern regions are particularly deprived, with one in ten children dying before their fifth birthday.
80% of all diseases in Ghana are caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation.
More than nine million people don't have access to safe drinking water.
Only around 13% of the population have access to adequate sanitation facilities.
WaterAid's programme work in Ghana
WaterAid has been present in Ghana since 1985, working with policy makers and eight local non governmental organisations (NGOs). Water, sanitation and hygiene education projects are carried out in six out of ten of the country's regions, helping to improve access to water and sanitation for some of Ghana's poorest people.
What has WaterAid achieved?
- Over 50,000 people benefit from WaterAid's work in Ghana every year.
- WaterAid has developed internal fundraising in Ghana, including substantial contributions from the Standard Chartered Bank Ltd.
- WaterAid has helped its partners become independent organisations, enabling them to carry out more project work in Ghana.
Case study
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Credit: WaterAid /
Jon Spaull |
Apoyanga Nash, from the remote village of Asamponbisi in the Upper East Region of northern Ghana, has access to a hand dug well constructed by a WaterAid partner:
"Before the pump was here, we used to go to the stream to fetch water. There wasn't enough water there.
When the children drank that water, they used to get diarrhoea and stomach pains. We didn't understand exactly what was wrong but we knew it was because of the water. Now our health is changing and improving.
Price points
£4 can pay for a hygiene promotional manual £25 could pay for tools to build a hand-dug well £120 pays for a safe rope ladder for well digging £4,000 could pay to drill a borehole for 300 people
Films/technology/links
Youtube: 'Buckets of Water'
Latrine building in Ghana
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Ghana Sources: World Bank (2011) World Development Indicators database - databank.worldbank.org, WHO / UNICEF (2010) Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) report 2010, UNDP (2011), Human Development Report 2011
NB. Official statistics tend to understate the extent of water and sanitation problems, sometimes by a large factor. There are not sufficient resources available for accurate monitoring of either population or coverage. Varying definitions of water and sanitation coverage are used and national figures mask large regional differences in coverage.
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What we do
5,000
