In line with ANAM Initiative’s sustainability goal, the Asutifi North District Assembly in partnership with World Vision has organised a workshop from 17th to 19th May 2022 to sensitised faith leaders across Asutifi North District on the need to own up to the initiative.
The three-day program had a facilitator from World Vision learning about the views of faith leaders and then building their capacity to enable them to own up the process of assisting their communities to sustain the various projects created under the ANAM Initiative and resolve subsequent issues.
Explaining why the approach was adopted, the Facilitator for the workshop, Mr Lawrence Lerewanu said, “We find that Ghana is a religious society which takes faith seriously. So if you have an issue and can win over faith leaders to accept and own the process of addressing it, you will far more be able to get it resolved than dealing only at departmental levels.”
“If a faith community does not tackle issues that confront the society they reside in, then that faith community have lost relevance”, he added.
On the relevance of involving faith leaders in the running of WASH systems to communities, Pastor for Obengkrom Assemblies of God church and chairman for Obengkrom WSMT, Eric Opoku, explained “when my members and I took over from the previous team after it was dissolved, we made it a point to resolve every issue immediately as they come up. We also currently have GHc.7,810.00 saved in our team’s bank account.”
He believes “all these actions are to enhance the sustainability theme of the initiative even after the ANAM WASH partners leave our district”.
The faith leaders will also serve as a trainer of facilitators for the initiative. This means they are tasked to transmit the concepts learnt to a broader population using their various places of worship as media. Participants from Atwedie, Obengkrom, Kenyasi, Panaba, Asumadukrom, Kensere, and Kwakurikrom communities were present.
