Accra: The Centre for Advancing Rural Opportunities (CARO Ghana), a non-governmental organisation, has engaged Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in Wa in a sensitisation exercise to mark the 2025 Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Week celebration.
According to Ghana News Agency, the event was part of efforts to promote inclusive WASH practices and was held under the theme: 'Equity and Inclusion in WASH: Strengthening Systems for Sustainable WASH Accountability and Partnerships for Results.' The broader 2025 WASH Week celebration, led by the Ghana Coalition of NGOs in Water and Sanitation (CONIWAS), was on the theme: 'WASH for a Healthy Ghana: Everyone, Everywhere.'
The sensitisation focused on good handwashing techniques, general sanitation practices, and the hygienic handling of assistive devices such as wheelchairs, crutches, white canes, and hearing aids, to reduce the risk of sanitation-related infections. Mr Ishmael Dong, the Programme Officer at CARO Ghana, explained that PWDs were often left out of WASH-related interventions and education, which necessitated the organisation's decision to reach out to them directly.
He urged participants to apply the knowledge gained to improve their personal hygiene and ensure a cleaner environment, which would contribute to better health outcomes. Mr Agambire Inusah Alhassan, the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer at the Upper West Regional Environmental Health and Sanitation Department, who facilitated the session, highlighted the importance of washing hands at critical moments, such as after using the toilet, before eating, after changing children's diapers, and before breastfeeding.
Mr Alhassan also stressed the importance of regularly sanitising the handles of devices such as wheelchairs, crutches, and white canes, as these devices accumulate germs, and touching them after washing hands can lead to contamination. He led a practical demonstration of proper handwashing with soap under clean running water and encouraged the participants to maintain cleanliness in their homes and workplaces.
Additionally, Mr Alhassan advised participants to collect plastic waste generated at their homes and workplaces for sale to recycling companies, which would not only help maintain a clean environment but also provide income. Mr Ibrahim Saani, a former Upper West Regional President of the Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations (GFD), expressed appreciation to CARO Ghana for organising the sensitisation and pledged to disseminate the knowledge among other PWDs.
Madam Kutum Abdulai, the leader at the Disability Centre in Wa, said the Centre had initiated a plastic waste recycling initiative by turning used plastics into storage bags. The PWDs appealed for cleaning materials such as brooms and dustbins to help maintain hygiene at the Centre. As part of the event, Toilet Engineers and Sanitation Services donated handwashing devices to the Centre to support the promotion of hygiene practices among the PWDs.
