To improve rural health services, the Fix That Pump-initiative replaces single hand pump boreholes with solar water pumping systems and solar-powered electrification. The health centre will also be equipped with water reservoir/storage tanks, and no-touch hand washing facilities to help ensure good hygiene practices.
Stakeholder engagement meeting, Ghana. Photo: HOPin Academy
The gesture through the HOPin Academy rural sustainable water initiative “Fix That Pump” is to help upgrade the water facility in the Nanton Health Centre to enhance quality healthcare delivery in the area.
“The intervention is expected to ensure easy access to safe water in the community, healthier and safer deliveries in the health centre, reduction in premature deaths of children, improved lighting and communication within the centre, reduction of the running cost of the clinic as a result of the reduced water charges and more attractive workplace for clinic staff,” explains MacCarthy Mac-Gbathy, Co-Founder and Executive Director of HOPin Academy.
MacCarthy Mac-Gbathy (centre), Co-Founder and Executive Director of HOPin Academy, in discussion with stakeholders. Photo: HOPin Academy
The overall objective is to make an impactful contribution to the improvement of rural health services in times of COVID-19 pandemic by upgrading the district health centre with standardized basic water and energy systems.
“It is a great privilege to finance your project to help improve health services in the rural communities of Ghana’. With this donation, we are proud to support HOPin Academy’s important work. We look forward to following the project and hearing about the results,” says Kim Nøhr Skibsted, Executive Director, Grundfos Foundation.
The Grundfos Foundation funds local projects through its Community Engagement Grant which companies in the Grundfos Group may apply for on behalf of their local partners. Grundfos Ghana has secured the DKK 385,000 grant for HOPin Academy making the intervention possible.
Group photo. Stakeholder engagement meeting, Ghana. Photo: HOPin Academy
Much needed upgrade of rural health services
A short survey in the rural areas in the districts of the Northern Region by the Academy showed that the poor condition of health services in these communities affect quality healthcare delivery and also hampers the activities of the healthcare practitioners.
Improving rural health services in Ghana from Grundfos Foundation | PDJF on Vimeo.
The poor nature of the basic water and energy system in these times of COVID-19 is also a worrying and devastating issue that needs attention to reduce the further spread of the virus among the locals, health workers and most importantly pregnant women and infants he said.
“With this project, we want to move from hand pumps which are very common in the area, to a sustainable solar pumping system to reduce the cost of maintenance, toxic elements which get into the water due to bad maintenance practices, and increase the accessibility of water to the estimated 155,293 people in the Nanton District and its nearby communities,” explains MacCarthy Mac-Gbathy.
Already, some stakeholder engagement activities have been held and steps are taken for the implementation phase of the project in the coming weeks.
- The District Chief Executive for Nanton, Murtala Abdulai, commended Grundfos Foundation and HOPin Aacedmy for the priceless support to help improve the quality and efficiency healthcare services and pray more of these can be done in other districts as well.
- The District Coordinating Director for Nanton, Alhaji Mohammed Benjy, assured that the assembly is committed to collaborating with the institutions to ensure the implementation of the project to enhance Water and Sanitation issues in the district.
Samuel Prah, Director of Nanton District Health Directorate, Northern Region. The local health authorities actively support the Fix hat Pump-initiative. Photo: HOPin Academy
About HOPin Academy
HOPin Academy provides pragmatic and innovative approaches towards exploring the various fields of entrepreneurship with the aid of technology, thus beating the competition in labour markets. Entrepreneurs are resourced with the best content available on internet platforms and in apps as well trained to develop key competencies in the realization of their goals he said. The Academy partners with over 20 renowned corporate institutions and has successfully natured over 40 startups and seen over a hundred community events effectively carried out since its inception in 2013.
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