WaterAid, BIDO launch campaign on maternal health.
WaterAid Ghana and Behasun Integrated Development Organisation (BIDO) Ghana have launched a major campaign aimed at tackling maternal health challenges by improving access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services in healthcare facilities in the Bongo District and beyond.
Dubbed: “Time to Deliver” Women’s Health Campaign, seeks to address critical gaps in healthcare infrastructure that continue to endanger the lives of women and newborns, particularly during pregnancy and childbirth.
Call
Fauzia Aliu, an Advocacy, Campaigns and Inclusion Manager at WaterAid Ghana, described the campaign as a “call to conscience,” stressing that access to clean water and sanitation in health facilities was essential to safe childbirth.
She revealed that globally, every two seconds, a woman gives birth in a healthcare facility without access to clean water, while more than one million mothers and newborns die annually from preventable infections linked to unsafe births.
“These are not just statistics; they represent real mothers, real babies and real families,” she emphasised.
Ms Aliu explained that the Bongo launch forms part of a broader global movement, with similar campaigns taking place across several countries, alongside a national launch in Accra aimed at securing stronger political commitment and increased investment in WASH services.
She stressed that without adequate water, sanitation and hygiene in health facilities, women and newborns face a higher risk of infections, complications and preventable deaths.
The Executive Director of BIDO Ghana, Georgia Amidu, said many women continue to face serious challenges in accessing quality health care due to inadequate WASH facilities in some health centres.
She noted that such conditions affected not only the quality of care but also the dignity, safety and confidence of women seeking healthcare, especially during pregnancy and childbirth.
She commended the partnership between WaterAid Ghana, district authorities and the Ghana Health Service (GHS), expressing optimism that collective efforts would lead to tangible improvements
Appeal for action
The first runner-up of the 2025 Ghana Most Beautiful, Asakia Hawawu Hanaan, who is the campaign ambassador for WaterAid Ghana and BIDO Ghana, urged stakeholders to focus on the human impact of poor healthcare conditions rather than statistics alone.
She highlighted the risk of infections due to poor hygiene practices, noting that some women lose their lives days after childbirth from preventable causes.
The Paramount Queen Mother of the Bongo Traditional Area, Pognaba Christiana Nge, appealed to communities benefiting from WASH interventions to take proper care of the facilities to ensure sustainability.
