Perceived impact of training in Ghana implemented by Akuapem community development programme (ACDEP) on community management of rural water and sanitation facilities

Abstract

Provision and management of water and sanitation facilities is a major challenge in developing countries andgovernments in these countries are unable to deliver, manage and maintain basic infrastructure for their growingpopulations. This study explored participants’ perceived impact of water and sanitation committee trainingimplemented by Akuapem Community Development Programme (ACDEP) on community management of ruralwater and sanitation facilities. The study aimed at assessing participants’ satisfaction with respect to the generalorganization of the training, what has been learnt, how the knowledge gained is being applied, and evidence in thecommunity that the WATSAN committee members are performing their roles. Eighty respondents selected fromtwenty (20) communities were interviewed for the study. The data is presented in simple statistical chartsincluding pie chart and bar graphs generated from the Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS), computersoftware used for data analysis. The results indicated that the training was very useful and relevant in managingthe WATSAN facilities provided in the communities and participants are satisfied with the way ACDEPorganised the training. The committee members were also observed to experience some challenges in performingtheir roles and responsibilities. Based on the results, it is recommended that ACDEP organise a retrainingprogramme and ensure occasional monitoring visits to the old communities. ACDEP should also put in placesystems that will ensure that every training programme is evaluated using scientific methods and welldocumented for future use.