Building Community health in Ghana
H2O4ALL began working in Tsopoli Village, Ghana, in 2017 when we partnered with the Givers’ Care Foundation to implement a safe water system at Someh Rahma School. At the time, Tsopoli – a small village of around 500 people in Ghana’s Greater Accra region – had no safe water source. Most Tsopoli residents relied on rainwater collection or unprotected lakes for water. Furthermore, these sources were often contaminated.
The whole community was struggling due to water stress, but nowhere was it more evident than in Tsopoli’s children. Many young people shouldered the burden of collecting water for their families, causing them to fall behind in school. In addition, the waterborne diseases that afflicted the community often hit the children hardest; many students at Someh Rahma School suffered from stunted growth and persistent health problems. Increasing safe water access and sanitation in the community would protect Tsopoli’s children from waterborne diseases, allowing them to grow strong and healthy.
Someh Rahma School received a borehole in 2017, providing steady safe water for the school and the Tsopoli community. In the years following the initial project, H2O4ALL continued working with Someh Rahma and Givers’ Care to improve conditions for students and staff. The school received new latrines, replacing the dilapidated and unsafe latrines the school had used for years. The school also received assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic, as H2O4ALL installed 20 latrines and 40 handwashing stations around Tsopoli to help residents combat the spread of COVID-19. Through safe water and improved sanitation, we were able to help the Tsopoli community create a safer and healthier environment for their children to learn so that they could reach their full potential and become leaders in their community.
