NGO helping to eradicate guinea worm in N/R

Kushibu (NR), July 30, GNA- The Kings Village, a Christian NGO operating in the Tolon/Kumbungu District in the Northern Region have initiated programmes to supply pipe borne water to guinea worm endemic communities in the area.

The NGO, which is also providing quality healthcare to some 123 communities within the district, had also built more than 200 household latrines for about 20 communities in its catchments area to help in the eradication of the disease and to promote good hygiene.

Rev. Ben Owusu Sekyere, Director of the Kings Village at the weekend handed over two boreholes it had drilled for the Kushibu and Jegba-Gbulahigu communities as well as the household latrines to the District Assembly.

Rev. Sekyere said the Kings Village was working to meet the spiritual well being of the people and to address poverty in deprived communities in the district.

He said funds were sourced from the United Kingdom to improve developmental needs of rural communities and that the Kings Village was touched by the high incidence of guinea worm cases in the district hence the need to provide the people with good drinking water. He said the Kings Village was working in collaboration with the World Vision-Ghana to provide 20 boreholes in seven communities in the Tolon/Kumbungu district by the end of the year.

In the area of quality healthcare delivery, Rev. Sekyere said the NGO established the Kings Clinic last year, which was taking care of the Tolon, Kumbungu and its surrounding communities.

Alhaji Imoro Yakubu, MP for Kumbungu, commended the Kings Village for the initiative and pledged his support in the areas of water provision, education and healthcare delivery to the people. Alhaji Yakubu said education was relevant in the district's development and urged parents to invest in their children's education, especially the girl child to close the gap between them and boys. He said due to the importance attached to education he spent GH=A220,000 (200 million cedis) out of his share of the MP's Common Fund to assist 200 needy students to enter tertiary institutions last year while a list of 35 others had been submitted to the Assembly to fund them.

Mr. Wahab Suhuyini Wumbei, DCE for Tolon/Kumbungu in a speech read on his behalf stressed the significance of the boreholes and the household latrines since it would help curb the resurgence of the guinea worm in the district.

He advised beneficiary communities to use the facilities with care to prolong its life span and called on other NGOs and corporate bodies to assist eradicate the guinea worm disease from the Northern Region.