The Japanese Government on Tuesday signed a 119,964 dollar- grant with The Hunger Project-Ghana (THP-Ghana), to support the provision of safe water for clinics in the Eastern Region.

The project documents, which were signed by Mr. Naoto Nikai,  Japanese Ambassador to Ghana and Mr. Samuel Afrane, Country Director of THP-Ghana, entails the construction of mechanised boreholes for 10 clinics under the THP-Ghana’s “Epicentre Development Strategy” in the Eastern Region.

These include Kwakyekrom in Akwapim South, Aworasa in West Akim, Adonkwanta in East Akim, Kwaboadi in Akyemansa and Tweapease in Birim North districts.

The rest were Atuobikrom in Kwahu South, Konkoney in Upper Manya Krobo, Anyansu in Asuogyaman, Akpo-Akpamu and Obenyemi, both in Yilo Krobo districts, he said.

Mr. Nikai in an address said the grant was part of efforts under the Japanese government’s Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGHSP) Scheme to directly ensure development at the grassroots levels in Ghana.

According to him, the THP-Ghana’s Epicentre Development Strategy has been pursued since 2001 and contributed to eliminating hunger and poverty in rural communities of the country.

The strategy, he said, adopted an integrated participatory and decentralised grassroots approach to poverty reduction and development and mobilised partnerships, self-reliance, peace and unity among the cluster of villages in an area.

Mr. Nikai said the strategy had become very functional and efficient in the community’s health profile, but limitations such as access to clean water for the effective operation of clinical activities and use by nurses in their quarters was hindering the provision of quality health services in these communities.

He said it was, therefore, estimated that when completed, the project would benefit over 55,000 people in the beneficiary communities.

Mr. Afrane described the Epicentre Development Strategy as a programme whereby a cluster of communities were assisted to construct a multi-purpose physical infrastructure at a central location to serve as a rallying point for infrastructural development, training and service delivery.

He said the epicentre consists of a Community clinic, with detached nurses’ quarters, a conference room, an assembly hall, a kindergarten, library, community bank and a food bank.

Mr. Afrane, however, indicated that the current lack of potable water supply had made it difficult to provide quality health service in a hygienic environment, thus rendering these clinics ineffective in addressing the health issues in the communities.

He expressed gratitude to the government and people of Japan for the timely assistance and promised to do everything to effectively carry out the project within the time frame already agreed upon.