0 INTRODUCTION
World Toilet Day is celebrated on 19th November each year to highlight the importance of sanitation and hygiene in driving improvement in public health, gender equality, education economic development and environmental protection. It is a means of sensitizing the world community on the negative impact associated with open defecation.
The theme for this year’s celebration was “Stop Open Defecation, Own a Household Latrine Now”.
Bosome Freho District Assembly joined the rest of the world in celebrating the 2021 edition.
2.0 ORGANIZATION
The District edition was organized at Anyinase in the Bosome Freho district with the support from the district Assembly and Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council. The occasion was however used to address sanitation problem confronting the District especially, open defecation among others. Before the ceremony, the District Environmental Health Unit with the assistance from the Chief of Anyinase, sensitized the Community and its environs on the need to participate such important event. Among the various dignitaries who graced the occasion were the District Coordinating Director, some section of staff, National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Information Service Department, District Environmental Health Unit, Chief and Elders of Anyinase and its environs, Hon. Assembly members, Unit Committee members, Teachers, school children among others. Public address system was used to facilitate the effectiveness of the Programme. About Six Hundred (600) individuals participated the Programme.
3.0 THE PROGRAMME
The programme started with an opening prayer after which the District Information Officer welcomed the gathering and declared the purpose for the occasion. Various invited dignitaries were introduced with Nana Appiah Kobi, Chief of Anyinase, as the Chairman.
4.0 OPTIONAL SPEECH
Optional speech were delivered by the District Environmental Health officer, District Coordinating Director, the Queen mother as well as the Chief with open forum discussion. The pivot of the speech unanimously centered on the need for all stakeholders to join hand in finding lasting solutions to indiscriminate defecation which has been one of the major effect on healthy lifestyle. Major issue address in relation to the theme were:
- Effect of open defecation
- The Assembly by-law covering construction of household latrine
- Advice to landlords and developers on the need to include toilet facility in their building plan/permit
- Proper care for refused dump site/container
- Assembly’s support for Community Initiated Project with regards to the construction of public toilet.
- The importance of continuous communal labour to ensure clean environment.
The effect of the Covid 19 pandemic, HIV/AIDS and teenage pregnancy syndrome were also intensively address. To ensure adherence to means of proper healthy Environment, the environmental Health Unit, the Information Service Department, and the National commission for Civic Education (NCCE) were said to be empowered to monitor and roll out Health Environmental Educative Programme district- wide to ensure the occasion impacted positively on the life of people in the communities.
5.0 CONCLUSION
The celebration of the World Toilet Day in the District was seen as a timely intervention, aimed at addressing environmental health problems district-wide. The chief was grateful to the Assembly for the honor done the community and pledged to educate the community on the major concerns emerged out of the occasion.