Programs / Water / Communities / Ekumfi Srafa Aboano «

 

 

About Ekumfi Srafa Aboano

Srafa Aboano is a community of about 260 homes with a population of

approximately 1.900 people. As it is closely located to the Gulf of Guinea,

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

the underground water sources are saline and not useable for basic

consumption needs.

 

Aboano's community members are mainly dependent on fishing and

farming for sustenance. The primary goods and food products produced

in Aboano are smoked fish, tigernuts, maize and cassava. There are

currently no medical facilities available in Aboano, making it diffcult for

community members to get medical attention when they require it.

Allmost all community members mainly use "the bush" for defecation, an

unhealthy practise that can lead to diseases such as typhoid, diarrhea,

cholera and other infectious diseases.

Global Brigades entered Srafa Aboano with Medical Brigades in June 2011,

and currently operates Microfinance Brigades as well as Water and Public

Health Hybrid Brigades in the community.

 

 

Ekumfi Srafa Aboano'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.

 

Srafa Aboano has had water challenges for an unknown amount of time

and is unfortunately not scheduled to receive piped water from the

Ghanaian government in the upcoming years. The main water issues

faced by the community are directly related to Aboano's geographic location, especially its close proximity to the sea. Salty seawater has intruded Aboano's underground water resources, making most groundwater sources undrinkable and a possible health hazard. Besides ground water posing a threat to peoples' health, so does Aboano's local fresh water pond. Aboano's water pond is the largest source of fresh water for most community members and most women and children spend many hours a day collecting water in open containers and carrying it back home. Not only is the water pond used for drinking water, it is also used for washing and bathing purposes. Unfortunately, this same water is pulled from a source very close to where farm animals and humans regularly defecate. The drinking water from this pond is subject to high levels of contamination and is rarely treated before consumption. This same water can lead to diarrhea, bilharzia, cholera, skin rash and other water related diseases and infections. Another safe water option for Srafa Aboano's community members is purchasing water sachets but this is often an unsustainable, unreliable and, in the long-term, expensive option for drinking water.

 

 

The Water Solution for Ekumfi Srafa Aboano

Water Brigades Ghana has focused on two types of water solutions in Srafa Aboano: School Rainwater Harvesters (SRH) and Household Rainwater Harvers (HRH). In April 2011, the London School of

Economics constructed a SRH in Aboano 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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In August 2012, Global Water Brigades Ghana started to provide families in Srafa Aboano with year-round access to clean drinking and cooking water by constructing ferrocement Household Rainwater Harvesters (HRH). The storage tank is sized to last a family through the 3 to 4 month dry season and is an affordable water solution used in developing countries for over 20 years.

 

Currently, 23 different Brigades have contributed to the construction of 41 Household Rainwater Harvesters.

 

Household Rainwater Harvesters (HRH) in Ekumfi Srafa Aboano
Water Brigades Chapter	Month	Volunteers	# HRHs Constructed
Pilot Project	August, 2012	0	1
Imperial College London	September, 2012	29	4
Bayreuth University	September, 2012	19	2
SES Funds	September, 2012	0	2
Penn State University	December, 2012	18	2
Indiana University	December, 2012	17	1
UCLA	December, 2012	4	1
University of Virginia	January, 2013	5	1
Dublin City University	January, 2013	15	2
SDI Munich	February, 2013	14	2
Bayreuth University	March, 2013	13	1
University of Arizona	March, 2013	16	2
SES Funds	April, 2013	0	4
UT Austin	June, 2013	18	1
Manchester University	June, 2013	22	3
Cardiff University	June, 2013	5	1
Kings College	June, 2013	7	1
London School of Economics and Political Science	July, 2013	10	1
Arizona State University	July, 2013	5	1
HTW Chur	July, 2013	15	2
Loyola University	August, 2013	12	1
Imperial College London	September, 2013	14	1
University College London	September, 2013	14	1
Bayreuth University	September, 2013	4	1
Queens University Belfast	September, 2013	3	1
Birmingham University	September, 2013	19	1
UCLA	December, 2013	13	1
Indiana University	December, 2013	7	1
Penn State University	January, 2014	20	1
University of Virginia	January, 2014	8	1
University of New Hampshire	January, 2014	19	2
Columbia University	January, 2014	13	1
Dublin City University	February, 2014	47	3
Münster University	February, 2014	26	2
Total: 31		Total: 451	Total: 53

 

 

Current Status

Last Visit: 5/11/2013
All tanks have been checked to see if families clean their tanks. All families present during this day received training on the importance of cleaning a Household Rainwater Harvester.

 

 

Project Photos

 

 

Visit Other Programs in Ekumfi Srafa Aboano

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 Srafa Aboano:

  BusinessCHW DentalMedical  MicrofinancePublic Health Initiative