Saboba (N/R), Aug. 13, GNA - World Vision Ghana has presented a quantity of both hygienic kits, textbooks drugs and medical equipments to 16 basic schools of Saboba Ghana Education Service and District Management Team respectively at the cost of over GH¢18,209 at Saboba in the Northern Region. The items include, dustbins, hand washing containers, basins, towels, soap, amoxicillin suspensions, two theatre tables, surgical masks, examination gloves, storybooks, English and Mathematics textbooks among others.

Mr Bernad Kpare, Saboba/Chereponi District World Vision Ghana, area Development Programme Manager who presented the items on behalf of Vision said the provision of the items is to create the awareness that sanitation and hygiene are key to the health and growth of children. Mr Kpare said improving sanitation is not only just the question of constructing latrines but ensuring that people are educated to understand its importance and noted that sanitation seems not to be a priority in schools because people do not realize the need for safe and clean environment.

According to the Manager, this attitude means that when there are many competing priorities, resources are allocated to academic activities whilst sanitation is neglected, adding that good sanitation facilities such as latrines, safe drinking water supply and hand washing facilities are important for the success of basic education. He indicated that the common thing practised is usually seeing school children sweep the school compound in the mornings without having water to wash their hands after sweeping and straight they go to class. Mr Kpare said it is therefore against this background that the Saboba/Chereponi Area Development Programme sourced funding through a special project to provide dustbins and hand washing facilities, including soap and towels to 16 of its registered children schools in the area.

He indicated that the drugs and the medical equipments are to be distributed to five health centres and Saboba District Health Centres in the area.

Mr Charles Akatuk, Director of Education said this is one of the numerous ways of support of the government in the cost sharing process in education and said World Vision Ghana has been very supportive in education sector in the area like capacity building, provision of the equipments like schools bags, and other kits and books for the library. Mr Abdul Hanan Wumbei Abdulai, District Deputy Coordinating Director said World Vision Ghana intervention to the District has been strategic.

He called on the pupils and the teachers to make maximum use of the facilities for them to serve the purpose the were provided. He indicated that there is the need for the schools to cultivate the habit of good sanitation by using the hygiene kits regularly so that the efforts of World Vision Ghana would not be a waste and announced that government always make provision in its annual budget for health facilities, including sanitation.

Mr Abdulai advised the decentralized departments to ensure that they always prepare their budgets early for the Assembly to incorporate them into its annual budget for the necessary support when the need arises and thanked World Vision Ghana for the hygiene kits and drugs and medical equipments.

Mr Peter Taban, Headteacher of Konkonzoli Primary School on behalf of the beneficiary schools thanked the Vision for its kind gesture and assured World Vision Ghana that all the beneficiary schools will put the hygiene kits to good use to improve on the health of the children. He announced that, apart from the hygiene kits, World Vision Ghana has also established mango plantations in Garimata, Sabiba and Kpogu Primary Schools at the cost of GH¢3,242 in the area.