More than 4.4 million people don't have clean water.
More than 4.4 million people don't have clean water.
That's 13% of the population.
23.7 million people don't have a decent toilet.
23.7 million people don't have a decent toilet.
That's 82% of the population.
More than 1,600 children under five die each year from diarrhoea.
More than 1,600 children under five die each year from diarrhoea.
Caused by dirty water and poor toilets.
Our work in Ghana
We’ve been getting clean water, decent toilets, and good hygiene to people across Ghana since 1985. We make sure the people left furthest behind benefit – those who are hardest to reach, and those who are being excluded by others.
We work with institutions at all levels: targeting policy makers, pushing for more funding, and nurturing better leadership. By sharing our experience and skills with others, we make sure that the benefits will be felt by as many people as possible, long into the future.
Transforming the school day
With clean water, decent toilets and hygiene education, pupils are free to focus on learning.
Pupils at Kabre Primary School used to rely on a hand-dug well, unprotected from the elements and animals, every time they needed to drink or wash their hands.
We drilled a borehole and built a solar-powered pump to provide not only the school, but the local health centre and wider village too, with a steady supply of clean water.
Now, the school has flushing toilets, separated for boys and girls. Pupils also take part in games to learn about good hygiene practices, like the importance of handwashing, with organisation Right to Play.
Supporting schoolgirls to manage their periods
As well as installing rainwater harvesting tanks at Kayoro School, we've run training sessions on good hygiene and menstruation. Now, girls like Mary and her classmates aren't just equipped with the knowledge they need to manage their own periods safely – they're also sharing it with the rest of their school through educational plays.
I teach the younger children in my community about periods… I tell them that periods are normal. The kids always listen and thank me.
Training local heroes to tackle the toilet crisis
Gladys is one of four WaterAid-trained latrine builders in Akundo-Apeelinga. Not long ago, there were no toilets here, so people had no choice but to go in the open, risking disease. Now, families have decent toilets – and the safety, dignity and health they bring.
As well as working directly with communities like Gladys' to build toilets and stop open defecation, we influence government policies and planning, to make sure toilets are prioritised in the way they need to be.
We’re also building a network of sanitation experts by sharing our knowledge and skills with other local organisations – so bringing about a bigger, lasting difference throughout the country.
Changing normal for mothers and babies
When Selina Anogwine had her first two children at Busgongo Community Health Centre, the experience was far from pleasant – or safe. With no toilet, she had to use a chamber pot, even when 9 months pregnant. There was no water for her to wash after giving birth, so she had to wait until she got home. Staff struggled to keep the centre clean and infection-free.
But this time around, things are different.
Now the village has a solar-powered water system, and the health centre is equipped with toilets, sinks and showers. Selina, and other mums like her, can give birth in safety and dignity.
Responding to COVID-19
We’ve joined forces with other charities, the UN, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine as part of the Hygiene and Behaviour Change Coalition (HBCC): a taskforce dedicated to reducing the spread of COVID-19 through improved hygiene, funded by UK Aid and supported by Unilever.
With so many people in Ghana lacking the clean water they need to practise good hygiene, COVID-19 is a real threat. As part of our work with the HBCC, we've been supporting the government to protect health staff and patients by scaling up hygiene campaigns, providing handwashing facilities and PPE, and training staff. We're also advocating for more disability-inclusive water, sanitation and hygiene facilities in public places.