Newly built CHPS Compound at Tarikpaa
World Vision Ghana has commissioned a CHPS Compound at Tarikpaa community to close the Savelugu area programme after 24 years of investments in critical sectors in selected communities in the Savelugu Municipality and parts of Nanton District in the Northern region.
The CHPS Compound at Tarikpaa is a community self-self initiative supported by World Vision Ghana.
Madam Laura Cristina DelValle, National Director of World Vision Ghana, at the commissioning, indicated that the Savelugu Area Programme has impacted over 152,398 beneficiaries, comprising 35,101 girls, 33,309 boys, 43,404 women, and 40,874 men, with interventions in sectors such as Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), Primary Healthcare and Nutrition, education, community and child-led advocacy, and child protection and sponsorship programming.
According to her, the investments by World Vision are aimed to contribute to the improved well-being of all children, families, and communities in the Savelugu-Nanton area with a special focus on the most vulnerable.
She disclosed that since its inception, World Vision Ghana has invested approximately USD 2,673,278 (Ghc 37,425,392) to support the most vulnerable children and their communities.
The old CHPS Compound at Tarikpaa
“Today, I am excited to see the results of 24 years of transformative development in the lives of children and their families, with one of them chairing this closure durbar. I am proud to say that the lives of many children have been transformed through World Vision Ghana’s interventions in safe water provision, and as of today, a total of 107 boreholes and 10 limited mechanised safe water systems have been provided, serving over 56,000 people directly and over 152,000 indirectly in the area programme.”
Madam DelValle revealed that the provision of safe water systems contributed strongly to improved sanitation and hygiene behaviours among children and families within the area programme which accounts for the reduction in the prevalence of diarrhoea cases among children under age five from 28% in 2017 to 6.44% in 2022 and households using improved sanitation facilities moving from 26% in 2017 to 30.44% in 2022 (WVG, TP Evaluation Report, 2022).
“World Vision Ghana also invested heavily in promoting primary health care and nutrition in the Savelugu-Nanton area programme, with a special focus on children under age five. The impact of our health programme accounts for the reduction in health conditions such as stunting from 48% in 2017 to 31.67% in 2022 in the AP (WVG, TP Evaluation Report, 2022).”
The National Director of World Vision Ghana noted that women within the project communities have been financially and economically empowered to promote inclusiveness through their savings for transformation interventions; a good example is the Bunglung community shea butter processing centre, which serves over 5,000 women in six (6) communities.
She urged the chiefs and the leadership of the Savelugu and Nanton District Assemblies to work together to continue to sustain the gains made over the past 24 years.
Madam Laura Cristina DelValle with Mr. Mark Ayaaba Abugri commissioning the CHPS Compound at Tarikpaa
The Savelugu Municipal Director of Ghana Health Services(GHS), Mr. Mark Ayaaba Abugri, expressed his excitement about the building of the CHPS Compound adding that pregnant women in the community would no longer walk long distances to access health care.
“ This facility will greatly help the community members, especially women and children and so we thank World Vision Ghana for putting up this facility for us.”
He however lamented about the lack of accommodation for midwives and appealed for accommodation for them since they travel from Savelugu to the Tarikpaa community to work.
Mr. Abugri also appealed to the chief and opinion leaders in the community to protect the CHPS Compound land from being
encroached to ensure that the facility has enough land for future expansion.
The Paramount Chief of the Zuggu Traditional Area, Naa Prof. Yakubu Nantogmah, on behalf of community members expressed their sadness regarding the closing of the Savelugu and Nanton Area Programme after 24 years of investments.
He thanked World Vision Ghana for their impactful projects in education, health, and water among others, and assured that the projects established by World Vision Ghana will be sustained.
BY Eric Kombat, Tarikpaa