The World Vision, Ghana (WVG), an international non-governmental organization, has inaugurated two solar mechanized water systems at the Garu-Tempane District of the Upper East Region valued at $110,000.

Garu-Tempane Senior High School got one of the facilities while the Basyonde Health Centre benefited from the other.

Speaking at separate functions to inaugurate the projects, the National Director of WVG, Mr Charles Hubert, stated that WVG valued the welfare of children and their mothers, hence decided to construct solar mechanized water systems in all the ten regions, in the country, under the Water Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) component it operates.

He noted that the facility would not help only the beneficiary institutions, but the communities as well.

According to the Director, trained water committees would be put in place to ensure that user fees were charged to help maintain the facilities.

The team leader of the Advisory Council of WVG, Dr (Mrs) Adalaide Kastner, said the organization viewed the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) very critical and explained that it was working to improve the water, sanitation and hygiene in schools, communities and health facilities.

The Headmaster of the Garu-Tempane Senior High School, Mr Issah Sannie Mahama, said the facility had come as a big relief to the school and indicated that prior to the construction of the water system, the school with a population of 1,700, used only one borehole together with community.

Thanking World Vision, he said, apart from the water facility, WVG had also provided a number of books to the school as well as sponsoring vacation classes.

The Upper East Deputy Regional Minister, Mr. Daniel Syme, acknowledged the contribution of WVG to the region, particularly in the area of education, water, sanitation and hygiene over the years, saying it had impacted positively on the lives of the people, particularly women and children.

“The Regional Coordinating Council recognizes and appreciates the efforts of WVG, and we urge you to continue to support us to get out of the poverty brackets”, the Deputy Minister appealed.

The Bolgatanga Operations Base Team Leader of WVG, Madam Benedicta Pealore, led members of the Advisory Council and the Association of Progressive Entrepreneurs in Development of WVG, to visit the Kassena-Nankana West and Bongo Area Development Programmes (ADPs) in the region.

They visited the Drip irrigation sites at Dua, the Bongo Resource Centre, a shea butter processing unit at Bongo Soe.