Tano Adwumam

When it rained...class was cancelled... The 500 school children in Tano Adwumam, a small town outside Kumasi, in the Ashanti Region of Ghana, had grown accustomed to missing school.  Primary school was held outside under a big tree as there were not enough classrooms for all the students.

When it rained…class was cancelled. On top of this there was no water available in the school. Groups of students were obliged to fetch water on a regular basis from the nearest stream, over 2kms away. If nobody collected water there would be no water available for anyone to drink or to wash their hands. Students had to make the trip every day and as a result missed important class time. Students who collected the water fell behind with their studies. The poor results of the students at Tano Adwumam clearly reflected this serious problem.

Aidlink, in cooperation with our partner the Spiritans, Province of Ghana, identified Tano Adwumam as one of the most under-developed schools in the Ashanti Region. We agreed to partner with the school and work towards a level of sustainable development.

Step one: consultation.

We wanted to know what the priorities were for the school community. Unsurprisingly, getting the kids out of the rain was top of the list. Three large, modern classrooms were built, and fully fitted with furniture and teaching equipment.

Next we constructed a borehole beside the school and installed a mechanised water pump. Now both the school children and the local community can easily access clean and safe water.

Then we constructed modern, efficient latrines for the students. Today at Tano Adwuman there is sufficient latrine space for the students  and the latrines are more hygienic,  reducing the chances of spreading communicable diseases such as typhoid and diarrhoea.

Finally we helped the community to establish a Water & Sanitation Committee and we provided training for this committee. Today the committee oversees the maintenance of the well and the latrines as well as sensitising the students and the community on hygiene best practice.

The classroom blocks coupled with improved access to water and the improved sanitation practices have already led t much improved attendance at Tano Adwumam and student's results are on the up! Together Aidlink, the Spiritans, Province of Ghana and the community at Tano Adwuman have worked to ensure that all the children have every positive reason possible to attend school on a regular basis.