The Rotary Club of Wa and its partners in Canada have commissioned a Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) facility for the Operation Smile Orphanage at Nakwabi in the Sawla-Tuna-District, Savannah Region.
The two-seater Water Closet Bio-digester toilet with handwashing facility was constructed by the Rotary Club of Wa and its partners in Canada and also renovated an old WASH facility.
The Toilet Engineers and Sanitation Service, an expert organisation in bio-digester in Wa, executed the project estimated at about GHS60,000.00.
Mr Agambire Alhassan Inusah, the President of the Rotary Club of Wa, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at the commissioning of the facility at Nakwabi at the weekend that the constriction of the WASH facility was borne out of a need assessment conducted by the Club at the orphanage.
He said the assessment showed that the toilet facility at the orphanage was broken and out of use which compelled the staff to practice open defecation, presenting a need for a WASH facility at the orphanage.
Operation Smile is an orphanage established in 2008 to care for orphans, abandoned babies, and babies who are born by teenagers or mentally ill people in and around the Nakwabi community and currently managed by Reverend Sister Jane Mary Naalosegme, a Catholic nun.
“Just like any institution, the orphanage has its share of challenges since there is no permanent source of funding for its daily running and management.
It relies on donations from organisations and individuals who find it worthy to do so which leaves the home to its faith when such donations do not come”, Mr Inusah explained.
He said the Rotary Club’s support of the orphanage started in late 2022 with a monthly remittance of GHS14,000.00, which ran from February 2023 to January 2024.
Mr Inusah expressed gratitude to the international partners for making the funds available for both projects especially the WASH project which he said would help stop open defecation as it had diverse effects on their lives, especially the children
He announced that their partners in Canada had secured another funding for monthly remittance support to the orphanage for another year starting from February 2024.
Rev. Sis. Naalosegme, with joy, appreciated the Club and its partners for the kind gesture as it would bring great relief to her, the staff, and the children at the orphanage.
“I did not know what to do when Afrikids informed us they could no longer support us as they used to. I thank God for connecting with you people through Dr. Bachiyie and his friends”, she said.
She gave the assurance that the WASH facility would be maintained and put to good use, while the remittance allowances would be used for the expected purpose.
The support from the Rotary Club encouraged Rev. Sis. Naalosegme to venture into farming where she cultivated various crops, including groundnuts, rice, and beans to support the feeding of the children.
She also invested in catfish farming with the Rotary Club’s support where hundreds of fish were reared within the premises of the orphanage to supplement the nutritional needs of the children for better growth and development.
She also produced soap locally for use to reduce the cost of buying them from the open market.
Rev. Sis. Naalosegme appealed for support in furniture, learning materials, and a teacher to start a daycare at the orphanage to enable the children to start schooling to break the circle of poverty and struggle when they left the home.
Dr. Zakarea Al-hassan Balure, the President-Elect of the Rotary Club of Wa, reaffirmed the Club’s commitment to supporting the home, and he would make sure the support continued when he assumed office as President of the Club in 2024.
Mr Jonathan Kwofie, the Service Project Director, Rotary Club of Wa, estimated the total support of the Club to the Operation Smile Orphanage within the year at GHS228,000.00.
