Accra: Mr. Ahmed Ibrahim, the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Religious Affairs, has officially launched the sixth edition of the School Sanitation Solutions (Triple S) Challenge competition in Accra. Mr. Kweku Quansah, Head of Environmental Health and Management at the Ministry of Local Government Culture and Religious Affairs, launched the competition on behalf of the sector minister, emphasizing the importance of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) for national development.
According to Ghana News Agency, the competition, organized by World Vision Ghana (WVG) and its partners, invites pupils from Primary Six to Junior High School (JHS) Two to co-create sustainable solutions and advocate for improved sanitation in schools, communities, and public spaces. It also calls on government stakeholders to prioritize WASH in schools. Contestants are expected to describe how sanitation problems adversely affect teaching and communities, based on a topic to be announced in newspapers and on social media.
The initiative, taking place across all 16 regions of Ghana divided into five zones, is themed 'Empowering Children to Co-create Sustainable Sanitation Solutions.' It aims to promote child participation in water, sanitation, and hygiene programming. The School Sanitation Solutions Challenge seeks to leverage children's creative potential to address Ghana's sanitation challenges. Specifically, the Challenge encourages children to develop an interest in environmental sanitation, become sanitation-conscious, and act as agents of change by advocating for the removal of barriers to increased sanitation access.
The ultimate winner of the competition will be declared Child Sanitation Diplomat in September and will receive prizes, including potential foreign trips for both the winner and their represented school. Runners-up and their schools will also be recognized with prizes. During the launch, Mr. Ibrahim highlighted the importance for Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to prioritize sanitation and provide platforms for youth to support advocacy programs.
Mr. Yaw Atta-Arhin, Technical Specialist for Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) at WVG, presented concerning statistics about the availability of toilet facilities in Ghana's public and private Basic Schools. He emphasized the gap in children's participation in WASH service delivery and assured that WVG would build capacity for children to co-create WASH solutions, influence policies, and advocate for removing barriers to improving sanitation.
Mr. Atta-Arhin also announced that the organizers are considering extending the competition to secondary and tertiary education levels. A platform for past winners was unveiled at the launch, featuring previous champions such as Neriah Tettey of Silicon Valley International School, Ofankor, Accra; Naziru Mawadatu of Damongo Girls Model JHS; Maame Akua Ohenewaa Gyimah of Dawhenya Methodist 'B' Basic School; and Adjoa Gyakoa Appiah-kubi of Efutu MA Basic School in Cape Coast. The reigning champion is Abdul Yazid Faraj Timtoni Wumbei from Grace Holy Child Academy in Tamale.
The competition, introduced at three stages in 2020 by WVG in collaboration with Kings Hall Media Limited, the Ghana Education Service, the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources, and the Zoomlion Foundation, continues to be a significant effort towards improving sanitation through youth engagement in Ghana.
