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Booklet providing a baseline picture in Asutifi North, before embarking on an initiative to give every person in the district access to sustainable safe water, sanitation and hygiene services in Asutifi North District in Ghana.

TitleAsutifi North: what the water challenge means for communities
Publication TypeBook
Year of Publication2019
AuthorsMcIntyre, P, Wumbei, A
Secondary TitleA baseline picture
Pagination50
Date Published11/2019
PublisherIRC
Place PublishedAccra, Ghan
Publication LanguageEnglish
Abstract
In March 2018, the Asutifi North District in the Ahafo region of Ghana embarked on an initiative to give every person in the district access to sustainable safe water, sanitation and hygiene services.
 
The ANAM (Clean Asutifi North) initiative has a target date of 2030 to transform services so that half of urban households and 20% of rural households have access to safely managed water, with everyone else at least having access to basic water services. All urban households use safely managed household latrines while all rural households will have access at least to basic sanitation.
 
Asutifi North was chosen out of 250 districts in Ghana to pioneer an district wide approach – designed so that the District Assembly leads and partners combine efforts to build maximum coordination and unstoppable momentum towards achieving full coverage.
 
This booklet and a series of linked videos show a baseline pattern of intractable problems faced by communities who feel powerless to resolve their water and sanitation crisis.
 
All these communities experience regular interruptions of service when everyday life is put on hold and children cannot get to school.
 
Community leaders contrast the situation with the time when their parents and grandparents obtained water from traditional sources and they felt a greater level of autonomy and self-reliance. In 2018 there were few signs of effective community management or payment systems.
The challenge is not only about more provision but also about building new relationships between the district and communities. George Padmore Mensah, district coordinating director of the Asutifi North district assembly said, "Getting the communities on board is a huge challenge because they see the assembly as government- that somebody should come and do everything for them."
 
This baseline picture shows the journey that is still left to travel. Vida Duti, country director, IRC Ghana says: "Having the baseline in place, will help everyone involved to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the current WASH systems and service levels, and what we need to do to improve them." The ANAM strategy is one where partnerships are central. As Robel Lambisso, World Vision program manager puts it: "When we clap together we will be heard".

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