Vivo Energy Ghana, the exclusive marketers and distributors of Shell branded products and services, has handed over two newly constructed hand-pump boreholes to the people of Hiamankyene, a community in the Ashanti Mampong municipality of the Ashanti Region.
For decades, the people who are settlers from the Upper East Region, have not had access to potable water, and were forced to resort to unclean sources of water for drinking and other domestic purposes.
This led to several deaths and sicknesses in the community, but the timely intervention by Vivo Energy Ghana has helped to address the water challenges in the farming community.
Aside the boreholes, Vivo Energy Ghana has presented educational materials to all school children in the Hiamankyene community.
In collaboration with its staff and Shell retailers, Vivo Energy again donated building materials to the Brengo Presbyterian Basic School where some children from Hiamankyene walk a long distance to attend school.
The building materials are to be used for the reconstruction of the school’s dilapidated classroom blocks.
Vivo Energy Ghana explained the initiative forms part of the company’s broader sustainability programme, dubbed Energy for Water and Education, aimed at supporting government’s efforts in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals 4 and 6, which centre on Quality Education and Clean Water and Sanitation respectively.
Commissioning the projects, Managing Director of Vivo Energy Ghana, Mr Ben Hassan Ouattara reaffirmed the company’s commitment to supporting deprived communities to create the needed social impact and ultimately enhancing the quality of life.
“It is worth commending Ghana’s efforts in achieving the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target for water. However, there are still areas that remain unserved and underserved and this means that without this basic need, the lives of millions of children are at risk.
“Households, schools, farms and others are struggling to survive and thrive in this condition and as a company that is committed to the socio-economic advancement of communities, we cannot look away while innocent lives are exposed to waterborne diseases, through unsafe drinking water,” he said.
Mr. Ouattara commended the efforts of the Mampong Municipal Assembly for providing capacity building training to the Water and Sanitation (WATSAN) Committee to ensure the proper maintenance of these facilities.
Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei-Mensah, in a speech read on his behalf, reiterated the government’s effort towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by partnering with corporate institutions to deliver projects that respond to the needs of Ghanaians.
“The Government is committed to realising the Sustainable Development Goals and one of the ways of achieving this is by collaborating with organisations like Vivo Energy Ghana, to undertake projects that positively impact our communities. I am exceptionally happy about this initiative and I must commend the management, staff and retailers of Vivo Energy Ghana for continuously delivering value for our communities”, he said.
Member of Parliament for Mampong, Kwaku Ampratwum Sarpong, expressed his appreciation to Vivo Energy Ghana and admitted that the construction of the boreholes for Hiamankeyene have significantly reduced the cost for developmental projects in his constituency.
The Chief of Hiamankyene, Ayaabah Agurugu expressed gratitude to Vivo Energy Ghana for the boreholes and the donation of educational materials to every child in the community.
“The books will greatly improve the academic performance of these disadvantaged children who compete with their colleagues in the cities,” he said.
By 3news.com|Ghana