News
Rotary Club inaugurates water project at Konkuo
Access to enough potable water has been a major challenge to the people of Konkuo community and its environs in the Jirapa Municipality of the Upper West Region.
Residents, especially women have to travel long distances in order to get a basin of water for the house. Whilst this problem affects mostly females whose responsibility it is to supply the home with water, some of the males have taken it upon themselves to assist the females in that regard.
Madam Perpetual narrated to The Spectator the struggle young girls in the community had to go through in order to get water for the house and indicated that it did not allow them enough time to do serious academic work or undertake economic activities like their male counterpart.
In this regard, the Rotary Club of Wa in partnership with the Rotary Club of Windsor in Canada has inaugurated a mechanised water project and water reservoir at a cost of $110,000 for Konkuo Community in the Jirapa Municipality.
The 60 cubic metre capacity concrete water reservoir would supply water to residents of the Konkuo community as well as Jirapa town and would be extended to neighbouring villages.
Addressing the media at Jirapa, Project Director of the Rotary Club of Wa, Mr Stephen Mwinkaara said that pipelines would be laid for the reservoir to ensure that it pumped water to neighbouring villages of Jirapa.
He stated that the essence of Rotary Club was to promote community development, adding that the club would need the support of its stakeholders to be able to achieve its goals and objectives.
Mr Mwinkaara indicated that, the Jirapa water expansion project was an agendum to extend potable water to majority of residents in the municipality, saying, the club was prepared to partner development oriented organisations to champion the agenda.
“Sustainability is a very critical component of our projects. We, therefore, appeal to the management of this facility to undertake timely repair and maintenance works to prolong the lifespan of the facility and also ensure that the community enjoys fully, the benefit of the project,” he said.
Inaugurating the water project, the Municipal Chief Executive, Ms Christine Bombanye-Amadu lauded the club for the project and its location and said it was going to improve the water system in the municipality.
“Konkuo is my hometown and growing up as a young girl in a community without water has been very problematic. Several boreholes have been drilled for this community but have been rendered defunct and residents, especially females are suffering.”
Ms Bombanye-Amadu intimated that the Municipal Assembly was able to provide a borehole for the community but it was unable to serve the growing number of inhabitants, some of whom still relied on other unhygienic sources for water and commended the club for the gesture.
From Lydia Fordjour and Rafia Abdul-Razak, Wa
Troubled and anxious citizens in Damongo of the Savannah Region have expressed concerns about the number of young people, believed to be under the age of 18, involved in ‘shisha’ smoking in pubs and drinking spots within the township.
Eyewitnesses say the minors were seen patronising nightlife venues, where Shisha smoking happen in the open.
The situation has sparked renewed public concern over the enforcement of child protection laws and regulations governing the operations of entertainment centres in the municipality and country as a whole.
An eyewitness, who spoke to The Spectator on conditions of anonymity for security reasons, noted that the situation was becoming increasingly common.
“This is not a one-off incident. It is becoming very common, but residents like us cannot openly report or speak about it because our lives will be at risk,” he said.
Under Ghanaian law, minors were prohibited from patronising Shisha.
Public health experts have consistently warned that shisha use exposes users to harmful substances that can negatively affect brain development, respiratory health, and overall well-being, particularly among young people.
The residents believe the alleged incidents point to broader challenges relating to youth supervision, substance abuse, and weak enforcement of existing regulations and have called on municipal authorities, security agencies, and regulatory bodies to intensify monitoring of pubs and entertainment centres to ensure compliance with the law.
In an effort to address the menace, Mr Salisu Be-Awurbi, the Savannah Regional Minister, has led public education campaigns, engaged security agencies, and supported enforcement actions to address the rising use of illicit substances in the region.
Wura Kelly Seidu Boresah I, the Chief of Damongo, has also called on all stakeholders including parents, community leaders, institutions, and young people to actively support efforts to curb drug abuse, warning that the rising consumption of hard drugs poses a serious health threat to the future of the youth in the Savannah Region.
He also cautioned individuals involved in the sale and distribution of illicit drugs to immediately desist from the practice, stressing that offenders will face arrest and prosecution in accordance with the law.
From Geoffrey Buta, Damongo, Savannah Region
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Dr Theresa Baffour, an advocate for ending violence and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SAHM SAHW Foundation, has said that society plays a critical and pivotal role in breaking the cycle of domestic violence.
According to her, domestic violence is a major contributor of making women, who are mostly the victims, mentally derailed and unable to engage in economic activities.
She said this when the foundation called on the Ga Mantse, Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, to solicit support for the initiative by the “Strong and Healthy Minds, Strong and Healthy Women” (SAHM SAHW) to combat domestic violence within the Ga State.
The visit was occasioned by the fact that domestic violence cases have become quite prevalent in the Ga communities and is retarding growth.
According to her, the canker was an impediment to national development because the victims were usually tortured and would have to go through series of therapies to return to the right state of mind.
Dr Baffour mentioned that Gender-Based Violence (GBV) places a mental toll on women, and was, therefore, important to break the cycle through comprehensive mental health support, crisis intervention and empowerment programmes in communities with high rates of GBV.
This intervention, she underscored, would help in empowering the denigrated victim of domestic violence to soundly heal, build and thrive.
Dr Baffour added that the initiative would provide holistic, trauma-informed mental health care and advocacy for young women affected by domestic violence.
According to her, the above statement would create safe spaces for healing and equipping them with entrepreneurial skills for renewed hope and empowered life.
The Ga Mantse pledged his support for the laudable initiative to combat domestic violence and also acknowledged the need to address it in the Ga State.
Further endorsement came from Justice Julia Naa-Yarley Adjei Amoah, Chief of Staff at the Office of the Ga Mantse, as she commended the team of SAHM SAHW Foundation for taking a bold step to end the canker in the Greater Accra.
She added that it was a step in the right direction to save vulnerable women from torture, stress and emotional abuse.
By Alfred Nii Arday Ankrah
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