L' Observateur Burundi

The government has been urged to prioritise the provision of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) infrastructure and services to rural communities and public places to empower women and help bridge the gender gap.

As part of activities commemorating this year’s International Women’s Day, some women from the Upper East Region who made the call noted that such a move would be an innovative investment in empowering them to contribute sustainably to the growth of the economy.

The International Women’s Day was organised by WaterAid Ghana in Bolgatanga, a WASH-focused organisation, as part of its strategy to empower communities and women to lead advocacy for investment in the provision of WASH services to achieve gender equality.

It brought together more than 40 women from the Kassena-Nankana and Builsa North Municipalities, and Kassena-Nankana West and Bongo Districts.

Ms Rose Anabiolie Adzuik, a woman from Bilinsa community in the Builsa North Municipality, noted that the burden of collecting water for domest
ic use continued to rest on women in rural communities; however, many communities in the area did not have boreholes.

She said the situation compelled many women and girls to spend several hours trekking long distances in search of potable water, denying them the opportunity to be educated and undertake economic ventures including trading and farming to support themselves.

‘The women are suffering too much because of water; they do not have boreholes within their communities, so they have to go to the dam or streams to fetch water which is usually contaminated with chemicals due to fishing and open defecation,’ she said.

Ms Janet Awaregya, a woman from the Wuru community in the Kassena-Nankana Municipality, noted that apart from the fact that many communities did not have boreholes, many schools and health facilities did not also have running water.

She said the situation was worse in the schools where girls menstruating did not get water and decent places to clean and change and that compelled many girls
to stay away from school.

‘Most of our health facilities do not have running water and when a pregnant woman comes to deliver, their relatives would have to always search for water from long distances, and it is affecting us the women,’ she added.

Ms Mary Atanga, a woman from the Anafobisi community in the Bongo District, noted that open defecation was rampant in the area due to the fact that many households lacked latrines and noted that there was the need for the government to prioritise the provision of toilet facilities to help end the open defecation menace.

She said apart from a lack of household latrines, many healthcare facilities and other public places like schools and marketplaces did not also have toilet facilities, compelling patrons to defecate in the open.

‘Sometimes, pregnant women will visit the health facility and there is no place for them to free themselves. Apart from that our markets do not have toilet facilities and people are forced to defecate in the open, and you cannot blame the
m even though we sell foodstuff in the market,’ she added.

Ms Fauzia Aliu, the Acting Policy, and Campaigns Manager, at WaterAid Ghana, noted that women had good potential to contribute to the sustainable growth of the economy, however, numerous challenges including a lack of WASH infrastructure and services, continue to hinder their progress.

She said for the country to achieve gender equality and the Sustainable Development Goals, there was a need for the government to invest in women by providing WASH infrastructure and services to every community and urged the women to join the advocacy in demanding their WASH rights.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Madam Perfect Ayatey, a Gender Champion and a Tutor at the St. Francis College of Education (FRANCO), Hohoe, says empowering women to attain higher heights and break all barriers meant that the entire humanity was being empowered.

She said women at all levels and in all spheres of their lives irrespective of their occupation must be included in processes that aimed at empowering them.

Madam Ayatey was speaking at the St Francis College of Education during the 2024 International Women’s Day (IWD) on the theme: ‘Inspire Inclusion.’

Madam Ayatey said the IWD was not only to celebrate women but also to identify the significant roles women played in their various societies.

She said the voices of women must be heard and the IWD came in handy to showcase the importance of women in society.

Madam Ayatey said it was realised that there continued to be a gap between males and females in some aspects of life such as the political and economic.

She said some reports had shown that it could take more than a century
to ensure gender parity, hence, the continuous celebration of the Day would help in getting to a level.

Madam Ayatey noted that the celebration of IWD was in line with achieving the Goal Five of the Sustainable Development Goals adding that it could not be achieved alone if women do not get empowered.

She said inspiring inclusion called on all to celebrate women with diverse backgrounds, ideologies, and occupations as well as break barriers that affected women.

Dr Adwoa Kwegyiriba, Principal of St Francis College of Education, said the Day was to help women especially those of the FRANCO community to identify their problems and design solutions to help them overcome the problems.

She urged the students to invest in themselves, strategise and remain focused on their goals to enable them to reach greater heights in life.

The International Women’s Day which is marked annually on March 8, is observed as a holiday in some countries including Armenia, Belarus, Cambodia, Cuba, Georgia, Laos, Mongolia, Montenegr
o, Russia, Uganda, Ukraine, and Vietnam.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Sogakope community has been sensitised to preventing anti-microbial resistance (AMR) in living organisms.

The public education is part of nationwide efforts to address the weakening potency of antibiotic drugs.

Continuous drug misadministration is limiting the ability of organisms to react favourably to antibiotics, thereby challenging the fight against diseases.

Microbial resistance does not only affect humans and animals, but also plants, and stakeholders in a quadripartite that includes the WHO, FAO, and the UNEP, are targeting public education as a major means of addressing the challenge.

Dr Saviour Yevutsey, the National AMR Coordinator for the Ministry of Health, said most antibiotic drugs common to the county were leaving the shelves because organisms developed resistance to them, and that it was crucial for all to come on board to save the situation.

The public was asked to stay true to drug prescriptions as the overuse or underuse disrupted reaction cycles.

They were further educated agains
t the disposal of unused medicines into the environment since the practice helped train living organisms to build natural resistance.

The public was made to understand the effects of the resistance, saying it prolonged healing times involving antibiotics and made medical care expensive.

A drama skit was presented to illustrate the risks using everyday scenarios, and it taught hygiene to prevent food contamination.

Dr. Yevutsey described the situation as a ‘silent pandemic,’ and said the country was investing resources in controlling.

‘Data shows that anti-microbial resistance is a serious issue in Ghana, and we are implementing interventions in one health approach – animals humans and the environment.

‘AMR is real, and we are experiencing treatment failures as a result of the system. More drugs are being phased out,’ he said, adding that as part of the interventions, farmers in all sectors were being trained on bio-security measures.

Dr Kofi Afakye, National Coordinator of the AMR Project at the FAO, sa
id the quadripartite of agencies and organisations provided technical and financial support to enable countries to develop action plans and policies for the fight.

He said farmer-free schools were one of several interventions, with the poultry sector the priority presently as it remains the largest consumer of antibiotics.

Dr Afakye said the fish sector, particularly tilapia farming, would also become a focus and would be the plant cultivation industry.

He said a common AMR law for all sectors and industries was in the making, and that with ongoing community outreaches and industrial tours to pharmacies, agrochemical outlets, and markets, the fight should be seeing some remarkable progress.

Alberta Owusu Afriyie, a Veterinary Technologist at the National Veterinary Service Directorate said self-prescribed drug administration among livestock farmers was on the rise and asked the public to buy meat and related products from vet-approved services.

She also asked farmers to ensure biosecurity in animal care
and consult with vet officers when butchering.

The public education campaign is on the theme ‘Preventing Anti-Microbial Resistance Together,’ and a free health screening for several health conditions was organised on the side.

Beneficiaries, among others, were tested for HIV and received education on contraceptive use.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Professor Elias N. K. Sowley, the Vice-Chancellor of Dr Hilla Limann Technical University (DHLTU), has called for concerted efforts to address the systemic barriers and biases that impede the participation and advancement of women and girls in STEM and TVET.

He acknowledged the pivotal role women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) played in shaping the future of the global economy.

He, however, said to achieve women’s active participation in that field there must be adequate investment in education and training and addressing the gender stereotypes in the sector.

Prof. Sowley said this in Wa at the weekend in a keynote address read on his behalf by Mr Vitus Songotuah, the Registrar of DHLTU, on the theme: ‘Empowering Minds, Transforming Futures: Harnessing Gender Mainstreaming in STEM-TVET for Economic Development.’

The event was organised by the Gender and Diversity Centre (GADC) of DHLTU to mark this year’s International
Women’s Day (IWD).

He explained that empowering women and girls in STEM /TVET was not just about achieving numerical parity, but by creating an enabling environment and equal opportunity for all to pursue their passion in STEM/TVET irrespective of one’s gender.

‘Today we affirm our commitment to gender mainstreaming in STEM/TVET not merely as a matter of social justice but as a strategic imperative for sustainable economic development.

When we harness the talents, creativity and innovation of individuals regardless of gender, we will unlock a world of untapped potential that fuels progress, drives innovation and fosters inclusive prosperity,’ Prof. Sowley observed.

He explained that though there had been a remarkable shift in the STEM/TVET field with women breaking the barriers and making strides in the men-dominated domain, persistent gender disparity hindered the full realisation of women’s potential.

Prof. Hamidatu S. Darimani, the Director of GADC, recognised the critical role women played in driving
positive change in society and said the DHLTU prides itself on the lived reality of diversity, equality and inclusion through the establishment of the GADC.

She indicated that the event was to celebrate the achievements of women among the university’s staff and students and to acknowledge the obstacles they had overcome to impact society.

She said it was also to recommit to creating a university environment where every person was valued, supported and empowered to succeed irrespective of one’s gender identity.

Prof. Darimani advocated a future where gender equality would be a lived reality for all and encouraged girls to ‘dream big’ and pursue their passion in STEM/TVET at the DHLTU.

Dr Grace Alenoma, Head of Department, Sociology and Social Works at the SDD-UBIDS, who spoke on the theme for the IWD: ‘Inspire Inclusion’, reiterated the need to include women in every aspect of life such as governance and decision-making.

She said it was because women played crucial roles in the development of the family a
nd society.

Dr Alenoma stated that the success of women in leadership in Ghana and beyond justified the need for persistent advocacy for gender equality and the inclusion of women in leadership roles.

The event also witnessed the launch of the DHLTU branch of the Women in Technical Education and Development (WITED).

Dr. Patricia Darko of the Kumasi Technical University, the National President of WITED, swore in the members of the WITED DHLTU branch with a call on them to advocate women and girls’ participation in technical education and development.

Source: Ghana News Agency