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About Ekumfi Ekotsi

Ekotsi is a community of about 320 homes with a population of

approximately 1.650 people. As it is closely located to the Gulf of Guinea,

community members' options to collect fresh water is limited since many of

the underground water sources are saline and not useable for basic

consumption needs.

Ekotsi's community members are mainly dependent on farming for

sustenance. The primary goods and food products produced in Ekotsi are

cassava, yam, tomatoes, pineapple, peppers, plaintain and maize.

Ekotsi's community members have no access to health services within the

community, however it is easy for community members to travel to the

community of Essueshiya which houses a large health clinic.

Global Brigades currently operates Medical, Dental, Microfinance, Business

and Water Brigades in the community.

Ekumfi Ekotsi's Water Challenge

The two main water challenges in the Ekumfi district are: water access

and water quality. Where piped water is not available, rainwater is the most

culturally accepted form of drinking water. When rainwater is not available,

community members will often go to rivers or small dug out ponds for water.

The main water issues faced by most communities in the Ekumfi District are

directly related to its geographic location, especially its close proximity to the

sea. Salty seawater has intruded most communities' underground water

resources, making most groundwater sources unusable for basic consumption needs and a possible health hazard. Besides ground water posing a possible threat to peoples' health, so do most surface water sources like rivers, ponds and streams. Ekotsi's residents fetch water for domestic use out of a river running through the northern side of the community. All domestic water use is from the stream and many community members drink and cook with the river water as well. Furthermore, most women and children spend many hours a day collecting water in open containers and carrying it back home. Not only is the water from the local stream used for drinking and cooking water, it is also used for washing and bathing purposes by Ekotsi's community members as well as other communities located upstream.

The water from Ekotisi's river is rarely treated before consumption and using this water for personal consumption can lead to diarrhea, cholera, skin rash and other water related diseases and infections. One of the few safe water options for Ekotsi's community members is purchasing water sachets but this is an unsustainable practice as well as an unreliable and in the long-term expensive option for drinking water.

The Water Solution for Ekumfi Ekotsi

Water Brigades Ghana has focused on three types of water solutions in the Ekumfi District : School Rainwater Harvesters, Community-Wide Rainwater Harvesters and Household Rainwater Harvesters. In June 2012 the London School of Economics and Cardiff University constructed a School Rainwater Harvester in Ekotsi to improve student health and studies as well as helped set up a School Water Club responsible for gathering clean water for each classroom. Each class had also been given a Family LifeStraw filter of Sawyer filter to use. Although the School Rainwater Harvester is beneficial to students while in school, it is not a solution that can provide consistent access to clean water especially because children often drink contaminated river water when at home.

Current Status

Last Visit: October, 2013

No issues with the system. School Water Club is functioning properly and club is raising funds to provide all School Water Club volunteers with club t-shirts.

Project Photos

Visit Other Programs in Ekumfi Ekotsi

Global Brigades strives to implement a model of Holistic Development in communities through a system of collectively implementing health, economic, and education initiatives to strategically meet a community's development goals. Learn more about the other programs being implemented in Ekumfi Ekotsi:

BusinessCHW Dental Medical Microfinance