Quarterly Report: Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Health Project

The goal of the project is to accelerate sustainable improvement in water and sanitation access and improve hygiene behaviors in target districts. The project focuses on six components: Increased Use of Improved Household Sanitation, Improved Community Water Supply Services, Improved Sector Governance and Policies, Expanded Key Hygiene Behaviors, Leveraged PPP Investments to Magnify the Impact of USG Funding, and Improved Water Supply and Sanitation Infrastructure for Schools and Health Facilities. In the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2016 (FY16), community water supply interventions began with a solicitation of proposals to select consultants who will identify potential sites and locations within communities for borehole drilling in the Western, Volta, and Northern regions. These consultants will also supervise the drilling and development of wells when borehole drilling contractors are engaged. The project team also trained district-level stakeholders in an approach known as Trials of Improved Practices (TIPs) for social behavior change communication (SBCC) in project communities. Fourteen community-led total sanitation (CLTS) facilitators from the Bole and Sawla-Tuna-Kalba Districts were trained in CLTS facilitation skills. The training was a collaborative effort between the WASH for Health Project and the USAID RING Project. Additionally, the project team in the Northern Region worked with the Regional Environmental Health Office of the Northern Region Coordinating Council to constitute and inaugurate District Interagency Coordinating Committees on Sanitation (DICCS) for the Bole and Sawla-Tuna-Kalba Districts. The DICCS have the responsibility of coordinating CLTS partner activities at the district level. Proposals were also solicited to engage local non-governmental organization (LNGO) partners to support project team members in implementing CLTS activities. The team initiated the development of a catalog of latrine technology options through a partnership with Skyfox Limited. The catalog is meant to assist households in choosing the right toilet for their setting after communities have been taken through the CLTS triggering process. The project also solicited proposals for contractors who will construct institutional toilet facilities for schools and Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPs) in project communities. The consulting firm TREND Group was contracted during this quarter, and will be responsible for conducting baseline studies for project implementation. The consultants submitted an inception report with the work plan and data collection tools. The project team also worked with the Regional Environmental Health Office of the Northern Region Coordinating Council to constitute and inaugurate District Interagency Coordinating Committees on Sanitation (DICCS) for the Bole and Sawla-Tuna-Kalba Districts. The DICCS have the responsibility of coordinating CLTS partner activities at the district level. The project's geographic focus is on the Greater Accra, Central, Volta, Northern, and Western Regions of Ghana. The project's total estimated federal funding is US$ 18,693,256, and the project is expected to be completed by February 2020. The project's implementation is led by Global Communities, with the support of various local and international partners.