United States (US) Peace Corps Volunteers have been commended for their immense contributions to improving sanitation practices and agricultural production at Kuldanali and Pishigu in the Savelugu and Karaga Assemblies respectively in the Northern Region.

Some members of the Kuldanali and Pishigu communities told the GNA on Monday that the arrival of Peace Corps Volunteers in their communities in 2016 marked the beginning of an end to their sanitation challenges, as well as revolutionised their agricultural production activities.

The Ghana News Agency was interacting with some members of those communities to ascertain the impact of the activities of the US Peace Corps Volunteers in their communities as the US Peace Corps organisation marks the 60th anniversary of its operations in Ghana on March 01, 2021.

In 2016, when Christopher Hill, a Peace Corps Volunteer, arrived at Kuldanali for his two-year duty tour, it was observed that residents’ behaviour towards health and sanitation was not the best as they practised open defecation, whiles many adults and children in the area frequently suffered from typhoid and diarrhoea.

It is reported that he quickly moved into action and implemented behavioural changes, communication strategies educating the people on why they needed to stop open defecation.

The volunteer through a grant from the US Government, and labour from the community, constructed 40 household latrines for the people.

Susan Macgrathan, another Peace Corps Volunteer also came from between 2018 to 2020 and continued what Christopher Hill started and helped in the provision of good drinking water to the area.

Through their activities, in 2019, the Kundanali community was declared open defection free as most of the households now owned household latrines, and their children became free from diarrhea.

Ms Macgrathan also worked to instill savings culture amongst residents, who are farmers, by introducing them to the Village Savings and Loans Association concept, which they embraced and now made savings and took loans from their savings to expand their agricultural businesses.

At Pishigu, two Peace Corps Volunteers, Micky Sobir and Corner West, came between 2016 to 2018, and 2018 to 2020 respectively and implemented behavioural changes and communication strategies in the area, and with grants from the US Government, replaced broken solar panels of mechanised boreholes to improve water supply in the area, and also constructed 170 household latrines for the people.

Mr Kwabena Adeti, who was a contact person between the Kuldanali community and the Peace Corps Volunteers in the area, said even though the US Peace Corps Volunteers had long completed their duty tour in the community, the lessons they imparted in members of the community continue to live with them, which has reflected in the way the people approached sanitation in the community.

Mr Yakubu Zakaria Tia, contact person between the Pishigu community and Peace Corps Volunteers also said even though Pishigu has not yet declared open defecation free, the contribution of the Peace Corps Volunteers has greatly help to improve sanitation practices in the area.

The Peace Corps is an independent agency with a volunteer programme run by the US Government to provide International social and economic development assistance to underserved communities.

Ghana received her first US Peace Corps Volunteers on March 1, 1961 when the then US President, John F. Kennedy dispatched 23 young Americans to render dedicated services in the areas of health, agriculture, community development, education and business orientation.

So far, more than 5000 US Peace Corps Volunteers have since been posted to the country to further strengthen the bond of friendship between the US and Ghana as they work together to improve conditions in various sectors of the country impacting lives and building local economies among others.