UNICEF ORGANISES ORIENTATION WORKSHOP FOR MDAs IN U/E

26-09-2011     

UNICEF with support from the Upper East Regional Coordinating Council has organized a day’s sensitization workshop for Municipal and District Chief Executives, Presiding Members and Municipal and District Coordinating Directors in the region to brainstorm on social issues affecting the wellbeing of children. The workshop which was being held at Bolgatanga was among other interventions aimed at improving services in the area of health, nutrition, child protection, water as well as sanitation and hygiene as a way of enhancing the living conditions of the people. The occasion which brought together key stakeholders including departmental heads was used to showcase some of the best practices and successes chalked in some selected districts and regional health-level partners during the implementation of the said social issues and services in the region. Addressing participants, the Upper East Regional Minister, Mark Woyongo commended UNICEF and its implementing partners for continuously supporting the Municipal and District Assemblies to implement and improve social services in all the nine districts of the region, particularly in the area of health and nutrition, which he said is vital to enhancing the wellbeing of children. He described as laudable the collaboration of UNICEF and the Ghana Health Services for implementing the Integrated Community Case Management, citing the Kangaroo Mother Care and urged them to deepen such collaboration to help benefit more people in deprived communities of the region. Mr Woyongo also commended UNICEF’s partnership with the Environmental Health and Sanitation Unit and Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) and other stakeholders and urged them to uphold to such partnership to ensure that there is increased water coverage and access to portable water in deprived communities. He said through such collaborative efforts, the problem of water shortage and open defecation is beginning to yield positive results in some communities, particularly with the introduction of the Community-led Total Sanitation Concept introduced to address the problem of open defecation. Mr. Woyongo assured UNICEF of the region’s commitment to partner them to address the social problems that are afflicting the people and expressed the hope that together they will continue to work in concert to reduce the social and cultural practices that are stumbling blocks to the reduction of disease and squalor in the region and the country at large. He said government will continue to collaborate with UNICEF and other national and international bodies and agencies to ensure better life of the people. He however encouraged them to redouble their effort in advancing the cause of children in the region. Madam Amama Kaleem Habib of UNICEF stressed the importance of organizing the workshop and charged the various Municipal and District Chief Executives to support UNICEF in the implementation of social services in their respective areas of jurisdiction and emphasized that UNICEF will continue to partner them where necessary. Participants at the course of the workshop were taken presentations on child protection activities and best practices of water, sanitation and hygiene among others related issues.