WASH PROJECTS
Our Impact Area
WASH — Clean Water, Sanitation & Hygiene
Ghana has made solid gains in drinking water access, yet sanitation and hygiene still lag—especially in rural and low-income communities. As of 2022, about 88% of people had at least basic drinking water, but progress in sanitation is slower and open defecation persists, increasing diarrheal disease risks and undermining dignity. Handwashing coverage remains uneven, with national strategies still pushing to expand facilities with soap and water. ReliefEcho prioritizes safe boreholes, climate-resilient water systems, gender-responsive toilets, handwashing stations, and community behavior change to close these gaps and protect maternal, newborn, and child health. ScienceDirectWashdataUNICEFcwsa.gov.gh
References: WHO/UNICEF JMP (household & Ghana analyses); CWSA Hand Hygiene for All (Ghana roadmap).
EDUCATION PROJECTS
Empowering Futures
Education — Integrating WASH & Nutrition for Learning
Health and learning are inseparable: 17% of Ghanaian under-5s are stunted (2022), and anemia affects about half of pregnant women, undermining maternal health and children’s development. Many schools still lack basic WASH services (reliable water, single-sex usable toilets, and handwashing with soap), which disproportionately affects girls. ReliefEcho upgrades school WASH, provides MHM support, and layers nutrition screening, deworming referrals, and healthy-eating education to improve attendance, cognition, and equity for vulnerable learners. UNICEFPMCUNICEF DATA
References: UNICEF Ghana Country Office Annual Report 2023; GDHS 2022 anemia findings; WHO/UNICEF JMP WASH-in-Schools update.
EMERGENCY RELIEF PROJECT
Emergency Relief — Rapid Support for Internally Displaced People (IDPs)
Floods and dam spillages routinely displace families in Ghana, with northern regions (Upper East, Upper West, Northern, Savannah, North East) at high risk. Recent emergencies show the scale: the Akosombo/Kpong spillage alone displaced ~35,800 people in 2023, while IFRC/NADMO highlight recurring displacement from Bagre Dam releases further north. ReliefEcho pre-positions supplies and delivers WASH kits, shelter materials, nutrition support, and protection referrals to IDPs and host communities—bridging immediate needs and linking to long-term recovery. UNICEFadore.ifrc.org
References: UNICEF Ghana update on Akosombo spillage; IFRC DREF operational update for flood-prone northern regions.
AGRICULTURE PROJECTS
Sustainable Agriculture — Climate-Smart Farming & Innovation
Smallholder farmers—who dominate Ghana’s food system—face erratic rainfall, hotter temperatures, and droughts that cut yields and threaten food security, particularly in the north. Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices (drought-tolerant seed, soil moisture conservation, efficient irrigation, integrated pest management) are proven to build resilience and stabilize incomes. ReliefEcho scales CSA training, demo plots, and last-mile advisory services for women and youth, linking farmers to inputs and markets to reduce climate risk while lifting productivity. FAS USDASolidaridad NetworkBioMed Central
References: USDA Ghana Climate Change report; Solidaridad climate-smart initiatives in Ghana; recent peer-reviewed CSA adoption research.
Upcoming Projects