In one day, how often do you use a water tap?

In Yahoma, there are many issues regarding sanitation and water supply. To collect one bucket of water, families often need to walk quite a distance, which is impractical and increasingly difficult for the elderly. 

• Most houses in the developing area of Yahoma are not connected to the mains water supply, in fact, millions of houses in Ghana are the same position. 
• Not many have rainwater tanks, and when they do, often they cant afford to pay for the delivery of tank water. 
• The digging of water wells is currently an unattainable goal due to the cost involved.

Affordable drinking water comes most commonly by sachet. Bottled water is also readily available. However we are very conscious of the issues around massive amounts of plastic waste in Ghana and the affect that has on the environment, waterways and ocean. Children are regularly seen selling "pure water" in communities, streets and in the bustling traffic of Accra. Some people collect the used plastic bags and recycle them to gain a little money. There are some initiatives set up where recycled plastic waste is being turned into valuable and beautiful products, however mostly they get thrown into the ecosystem, or swept into piles and set on fire, creating an even bigger problem for the environment.

Yahoma's water project 

In 2016, our family in Yaoma requested support to set up a water tank. This would serve the community with a water supply, and also benefit the family by generating a small, but regular income.
This is a big project and an ongoing project, so to begin with we started small. Our long term plan is to drill a well to access bore water, however this requires raising a large amount of money. 

Grassroot Initiative’s role in this project included the following activities:

•   Financial contribution to purchase a tank and supplies to build an appropriate foundation

The objectives of their project was to:

• Increase general well being of families through supply and access to clean water 
• Increased sustainable income
• Improve nutritional intake and reduce water born disease 

Project completed Jan 2019: 10,000 litre water tank installed