UNICEF Ghana has congratulated Mion District Assembly members for signing a pledge to become an open defecation free district by August 31 this year – a crucial step towards the whole Northern Region stopping defecation in the open. Mion’s public commitment late last week was led by District Chief Executive Dan Mankandan, who urged assembly members to transform Mion into the first open defecation free district in the country. 'Open defecation' (also referred to as 'free range' by some communities) is the practice of using open spaces, rather than toilets for defecation. 'Open defecation free' simply means that the practice has been stopped and everyone is now using toilets. “Open defecation contaminates water sources and spreads diarrhoea - one of the leading causes of death of children in Ghana, accounting for 4000 deaths of children under five every year,” UNICEF Acting Representative Sarah Hague said. Ms Hague encouraged more districts to follow Mion’s example and publicly commit to fast-track community-led total sanitation. Mion District’s commitment comes after the founder of the Community-Led Total Sanitation Foundation Kamal Kar met with all District Chief Executives in Northern Region during the last week of May. Dr Kar urged district assemblies to improve the health of their people through supporting community-led total sanitation, where communities come up with their own solutions to stop open defecation. According to the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, led by UNICEF and Ghana Statistical Service, 72% of people in the Northern Region defecate outside - more than three times higher than the national average of 23%. Only 5% of households in the Northern Region have their own toilet. On June 20, all the 27 Mion district assembly members present at the district assembly meeting signed a commitment that every community in each of their area councils would stop defecating outside in just over two months. This signed pledge follows a meeting between the District Assembly and Development Partners in Northern Region on June 11 organised by the Regional Co-ordinating Council, under the leadership of the Regional Minister. In the Development Partner’s meeting the District Chief Executive, with the support from his District Assembly, committed to leading the race to become an open defecation free district and help build an open defecation free Northern Region. Eighteen out of Mion’s 145 communities are already open defecation free. Acting Regional Environmental Health Director Martha Tia-Adjei is confident that the district’s bold commitment can become a reality, with the support of district assembly members, development partners, religious leaders, chiefs, opinion leaders, the media and children. “We are passionate because we know this district can do it. These district assembly members are champions for their communities and the people they are here to represent. The Regional Co-ordinating Council is giving them all their support,” Ms Tia-Adjei said.