Two basic schools at Adansi Asokwa in the Ashanti region have received water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities to improve hygiene among pupils.

The construction of the facility is part of commitments to curtail child labour in cocoa growing communities.

The Ayokoa and Anwona D/A Primary and JHS are among public basic schools without a sanitation facility.

Students are compelled to leave school to attend nature's call at their homes. Most of them, end up engaging in economic activities after nature's call.

Priscilla Sam, a J.H.S 3 student, revealed that lack of WASH facility in the school has affected her academically.

“Sometimes when I ask permission to go home to use the toilet I end up not going back to school. We’re grateful for this new toilet facility,” she said.

The International Cocoa Initiative (ICI) and Nestle Beyond Beans community profile exercise revealed the Ayokoa and Anwona communities have the highest number of child labour cases in the district.

According to Country Director of ICI, Mike Arthur, providing cocoa communities with some social amenities will help eliminate the increasing cases of child labour.

“After assessing the social needs of the community, we realized these two communities lacked WASH facilities specifically a toilet facility for Junior High School pupils. Since it's a cocoa-producing community, companies who buy the cocoa beans assisted us in this project,” he noted.

The Ghana Education Service wants corporate organizations and NGOs to emulate the gesture by ICI and its partners.

“Most of the public schools in the Adansi Asowka district lack WASH facilities and furniture. The government cannot do it all, we need NGOs to also help,” Head of Relations, GES, Adansi Asokwa said.

Headmaster of the Ayokoa D/A Primary and JHS lauded Nestle- Beyond Beans, Cocoa Merchant and the International Cocoa Initiative for the intervention.

Osman Kwesi Mensah noted that, “the facility will curtail absenteeism.”