Sub-Saharan Africa - Ghana
The Northern Region Small Towns Water and Sanitation Project (NORST) was an seven-year initiative that increased access to clean water and sanitation for over 165,000 women, men, and children in 20 remote towns in the drought-prone Sahel region of Northern Ghana. Cowater managed and implemented this multi-year initiative with financial support from Global Affairs Canada, providing design, installation, and capacity building support for the management and operation of sustainable water systems and sanitation facilities in 20 remote towns, as well as Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS). Throughout the project, NORST increased the capacity of stakeholders at regional, district and sub-district levels to effectively fulfill their respective roles in the delivery of potable water and sanitation services; and constructed water supply and sanitation installations that adequately supplied and met the water needs of drought prone communities. CLTS was triggered in all 20 small rural towns in which 165,250 beneficiaries gained access to improved water supply and over 2,390 households benefited from the construction of improved sanitation facilities. In addition, 53,125 children participated in Health Play and 19,500 school children benefitted from improved access to sanitation facilities installed over the life of the project. NORST received the 2017 Best International Project Award from the Canadian Consulting Engineers Awards
