In the dusty village of Zorkor-Kadare, where women once walked miles under the scorching sun for murky water, children now laugh as clean water gushes from a solar-powered tap. This small community in Ghana’s Upper East Region has long battled thirst and disease, but a new lifeline has arrived. WaterAid Ghana has built a full Water, Sanitation, Hygiene and Nutrition Plus (WASH-Nutrition+) facility here — a $300,000 investment that’s changing lives one drop at a time.
For years, families in Zorkor-Kadare relied on unsafe water sources, leading to frequent illness, especially among children and pregnant women. The lack of proper toilets meant dignity was often sacrificed, and health risks grew with every passing dry season. Now, that’s changing. The new project includes two solar-powered water systems that pump clean water directly to the community and the local health clinic. At the Kadare Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compound, the water system ensures nurses can clean equipment, mothers can give birth safely, and babies stay healthy.
The facility also features gender-sensitive toilets — a game-changer for women and girls. The female latrines include private changing rooms for menstrual hygiene, giving adolescent girls a safe space during their periods, a small detail that can keep them in school. Male facilities include urinals, improving hygiene and flow. These toilets are also disability-friendly, ensuring no one is left behind. The main and maternity blocks of the clinic have been renovated too, with new tiles, paint, and proper handwashing stations.
Beyond water and toilets, the project grows hope — literally. Two demonstration vegetable gardens have sprung up, teaching families how to grow nutritious food using clean water. Even Beo-Tankoo, a nearby village, now shares in these gardens, spreading the benefits. Over 300 WASH kits — filled with soap, sanitary pads, and hygiene tools — have been handed out, and 1,200 educational materials are now in clinics and homes, teaching people how to stay healthy.
Funded by Latter-day Saint Charities Australia and led by WaterAid Ghana, this project is a direct step toward UN Sustainable Development Goal 6: clean water and sanitation for all. Regional Minister Donatus Atanga Akamugre called it a gift to public health and human dignity. But he also issued a quiet plea: care for these facilities, so they last. The Divisional Chief, Naba Nambelmzinre Apa-Atang, echoed that gratitude, saying the community has finally found relief after years of struggle.
Today, Zorkor-Kadare is not just surviving — it’s learning to thrive. And as the sun powers the water pumps each morning, it brings more than water. It brings hope.