2017 World Toilet Day: UNIC Accra partners GES to sensitize over 50 students on proper sanitation
The United Nations Information Centre, Accra(UNIC) in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service(GES) have held a forum to sensitize over 50 students in the country on proper sanitation as part of efforts to commemorate this year’s World Toilet Day.
The sensitization forum which witnessed over 50 students vigorously sensitized on proper sanitation methods including waste water management, dangers of open defecation among others took place at the Osu Presbyterian Preparatory School in Accra on Friday November 17, 2017.
The participants were drawn from 5 selected Preparatory and Junior High schools located at Osu within the Accra Metropolis.
The schools include St. Barnabas Anglican Junior High School, Osu Ring Road Estate Junior High School, Tiny Flowers School, Osu Presbyterian Girls School and Osu Presbyterian Preparatory School.
The World Toilet Day is an annual International observance day celebrated on November 19 to raise awareness of the need for clean and safe toilets for all people on earth.
On this occasion, various events and activities are organized across the world with focus on addressing broader challenges of proper sanitation in general so as to get people to take action.
In Ghana however, the story is no difference as various events are being organized in tandem with the global agenda to commemorate the day including this particular event.
The theme for the 2017/World Toilet Day is focused on “waste water”; continuation from the World Water Day earlier held this year.
As Ghana joined the world to mark this year’s World Toilet Day, one major question which is being asked globally is ‘Where does our poo go’?.
The big concern being raised here is how effective is our sanitation systems in managing the everyday faecal wastes that are generated daily globally?.
Sadly enough sanitation systems around the world can be said to be either non-existent or ineffective in sense that faecal waste otherwise known as ” poo” gets out into the environment and spreads killer diseases which seriously undermine progress in health and child survival.
But addressing participants, the National Information Officer(NIO) of UNIC Accra, Ms. Cynthia Prah called on all governments across the world including the United Nations to ensure decent toilet facilities are provided to various communities across the globe who are in need to completely curb illnesses and eliminate the practice of open defecation.
She equally appealed to governments and responsible organizations to take action and invest into the processes of making sure that poos are used to generate electricity including fertilizers as well as ensure clean portable water are provided to the people at all times.
Touching on the issue proper sanitation, the NIO charged the students to take the practice of good hygiene seriously and ensure that they keep both private and toilet facilities very neat each time they patronize them.
“When you visited the toilet, before you leave the toilet room, look behind you and see to it that you make sure the next person who comes will be comfortable entering after you”, she stressed.
Ms. Cynthia Prah took time to explain the usefulness and the processes involved in using faecal waste to generate electricity for human consumption, highlighted the importance of the 4 -step journey concept, a component of SDG 6 which explained deeply the process involved in handling poo(from containment, transport and treatment to disposal or reuse).
According to her, ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all will help drive progress across many other Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs).
Finally, she advised the participants to study hard in order to become useful citizens in the future.
The forum which also served as an avenue to advocate for access to clean and safe toilet for all was climaxed with an exercise which saw participants made short sketches to express their desires in form of messages calling on government to take action and provide their toilet needs.
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