A REPRESENTATIVE of Mid Kent Water will meet the vice-president of Ghana at a summit meeting on water and sanitation problems.

Kevin Dash, 49, is travelling to West Africa today(Jan27) to meet Aliu Mahama tomorrow(28) as part of a special tour with the charity, WaterAid. The father of four from Tile Kiln Hill, in Blean, will be in Ghana for two weeks, spending a day with a family in Nyabgare Kpelpkee village, in northern Ghana, where people have to live without any safe drinking water or basic sanitation facilities.

Kevin, a senior team leader in the operations network department with Mid Kent Water, has been a WaterAid volunteer for a number of years, taking an active role on the in-house committee. This is his first trip to Africa.

He said: “I will meet Mr Mahama after staying in Nyabgare Kpelpkee and hope to discuss the effects of living without safe water and sanitation with him. I also hope to raise awareness of these issues – and their solutions – in the UK on my return.

“Women and children in Ghana walk up to 20km a day to collect water from rivers and muddy holes. It is back-breaking work and the water often brings disease to their families. A child dies every 15 seconds from water-borne illnesses.

“The problems can sound daunting, but we can all do something to help. It costs less than ?15 to provide someone with safe water and sanitation for life. In February Mid Kent Water is sending out WaterAid appeal leaflets in the water bills. I do hope people in Kent will be able to respond.”