The Akim Ayirebi Township has received a facelift on the issue of sanitation. Coliso Ghana in partnership with its funding partners: The Flemish Government, FOS, and DEME4LIFE Foundation via AC-Antwerpen, have implemented a health and sanitation project at Akim Ayirebi Township in the Akyemmansa District  in the Eastern Region of Ghana.

 

The project comprises of the construction of 4 WC public toilet facilities located at four different areas at Ayirebi. The beneficiary areas are Ebom, Half Assin, Paradize/Zongo and Amanfrom community. The Amanfrom facility is built at the Ayirebi Senior High School (AYSSS) campus for the girl students. Akim Ayirebi Townshi, with a population of about 20,000 is the largest settlement in the newly created Akyemmansa District in the Eastern Region of Ghana. Yet, the community had only one public toilet facility which was constructed in the 1960s.

The chief, community members, health administration and the local assembly provided their maximum support, direction, supervision, cooperation and also building materials and other forms of support towards the implementation of the project.

The provision of the sanitation facilites goes with hygiene education, health promotion and prevention. Through workshops, visits to the churches, addresses at funeral grounds and through the local information centre, the local population and sensitized on the need to live in hygiene conditions. Open defecation (including going to toilet in the bush ) has been banned and culprits are fined. With 4 modern WC public toilets (12 seats each), no one has the excuse to do it in the bush anymore.

Health screening (diabetes test, blood pressure, eye test, tbc ets) are also carried out during the public health sensitisation activities. A major screening exercise was carried out on Friday 7th February 2014 during the commissioning of  one of the toilet facilities which was done by Hon Oppon Kusi, MP for Ofoasi/Ayirebi.