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Published on: 13/12/2019

Kwadwo Addaikrom

A new video series captures moments of how collective voices and action are shaping Asutifi North's journey towards achieving sustainable development goal 6 (SDG 6) in the district, in Ghana.

How did the journey start?

In 2017, IRC Ghana together with partners from the Asutifi North district united local and national government leaders, chiefs, market women, water service providers, private sector and local NGOs to reflect on how to provide water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services to everyone in the district.

Through a multi-stakeholder consultation process, they jointly formed the ANAM WASH initiative, from which the Asutifi North district WASH master plan was born.

The master plan sets out what such a diverse group needs to do to make SDG 6 a reality for the district by 2030. The district authority together with local stakeholders are now implementing this initiative in collaboration with the Safe Water Strategy partners, including: World Vision International, Safe Water Network, Netcentric Campaigns, Centers for Disease Control, Aquaya Institute and IRC, with funding from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.

Political leadership

The ANAM initiative is based on collective action led by government, both political and technocratic. For the 'Collective action for WASH in Asutifi North' video series, we interacted with district and national government officials about how they are working on changing the status of WASH services in the district. The District Chief Executive, Anthony Mensah - who is responsible for ensuring that government policies concerning WASH are implemented well in the district - expressed how for sustainable services it is key to work in partnership and align efforts.

Explore the point of view of political leaders on collective action and master planning in the video below:

NGOs united

Government is in the lead, but the support that non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are providing in achieving the goals of the master plan is remarkable. In another video of the Collective action for WASH in Asutifi North series, we asked WASH NGOs working in Asutifi North district to explain their roles in getting the district to universal access by 2030, talk about challenges they face and their expectations from the collaboration.

What does it look like when NGOs are united in a small geographical area? Watch this video to find out.

Community stories

At the heart of the ANAM initiative is providing safe and sustainable services to the entire population of the district. Like with any intervention, improving a situation starts with understanding what works and what doesn't. So, since the start of the initiative, IRC has been collecting stories about how WASH services look like in communities. We have recently published a booklet with stories and earlier this year some videos. These are all about communities that face significant challenges with WASH.

In this new video we take you on a journey through five villages: Yaw Brefo, Amangoase, Kramokrom, Gambia no. 1 and Kwadwo Addaikrom. These communities all had already implemented exemplary WASH practices before the start of the ANAM initiative. People are paying for services and have excellent water, sanitation and hygiene committees in place. Even though the ANAM vision aims to further improve the WASH situation of these villages too, this video captures what works. It captures it so they can inspire other communities. And it captures it so we can look back later on and tell new stories that build on the past accurately. This is because we will capture further changes in the district while the master plan is being implemented.

For now, get inspired by listening to traditional authorities and community members telling their WASH stories here.

Arrangements for community visits and interviews were made possible by the Asutifi North District Assembly. We thank them and NGO partners working in the district for participating in the interviews and the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation for funding the initiative. Find more information about the ANAM initiative at www.anamwash.com

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