The Grand Finale of the 2023 School Sanitation Solutions, (Triple S) Challenge took place last Sunday at the National Theatre in Accra, with the crowning of a new Ghana Child Sanitation Diplomat for 2023.
True to the precedence set so far, it was another female-Gyakoa Appiah-Kubi, a 14-year-old JHS 2 student from Efutu M/A Basic School at Cape Coast in the Central Region emerged victorious, having gathered the most points in the final quiz competition officiated by renowned Quiz Master, Dan Afari-Yeboah.
The 14-year-old shrugged off competition from Vanessa Asiedu, Hannah Forkuo, and Vanessa Wenaba, first, second, and third runners-up respectively, in an all-female affair at the Grand Finale.
Little Appiah-Kubi will for the year 2023/2024 carry out advocacy programmes to promote good sanitation practices among children in the country, and also advocate for the provision of safe sanitation facilities for children at various stages.
“I am very excited to emerge as the winner of the challenge. I didn’t expect to be the winner, but I am grateful to God for making me the winner. I am grateful to my friends and family for their prayers and support in making me reach the finals and win as the Child Sanitation Diplomat,” she stated after being crowned.
She pledged to lead the campaign for responsible and effective solid waste management in Ghana.
“I would educate people on how to manage their solid waste and other forms of waste they produce. I would also encourage my colleagues to study hard so that they can also get to this point,” said Appiah-Kubi.
For her prize, the winner received 5,000 Ghana cedis, a laptop computer with internet access, a plaque, with a giant printer to be donated to her school. She will also receive sponsorships to visit countries outside Ghana as part of her activities in the coming year.
The Triple S Challenge is organized by World Vision Ghana, supported by other players in the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector, including Zoomlion Foundation, GAMA-SWP, Kings Hall Media, Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources, and Ghana Education Service.
Laura Del Valle, Country Director for World Vision Ghana said sanitation remains a major challenge for Ghana, adding that empowering children to advocate for the removal of barriers and promoting access to improved sanitation is a noble cause.
“However, achieving this requests support from all stakeholders-government, development partners, NGOs/CSOs, academic research institutions, private sector, and indeed, all citizens,” Valle noted.
In a message delivered for her, Freda Prempeh, the Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, said the government would continue to improve upon access to proper sanitation to reduce the prevalence of open defecation, and improve the overall public health in Ghana.
Prempeh added that poor sanitation and hygiene in schools, communities, and workplaces causes ill-health, leading to the reduction in productivity.
“As a government, we are committed to investing in the health and wellbeing of our people through the improvement of water sanitation and hygiene service delivery nationwide. We will ensure that there are places of convenience in every school,” she pledged.
