Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Network (WASH-Net) has targeted the vulnerable communities, women, girls and disabled people to vote for politicians who will provide safe water and sanitation.
In support of this, WASH-Net has launched a campaign that is calling on political parties to commit themselves to deliver safe drinking water and adequate sanitation, in line with Sierra Leone’s Millennium Development Goals commitments, and beyond to reach all citizens and also ensure school health clinics which will have access to clean drinking water, improved sanitation facilities with separate facilities for boys and girls, and access facilities for disabled people.
Chairman of the programme, Gibril Turay, a representative from the Young Mens Christian Association, a member organization of WASH-Net, said the campaign is mostly for councillors and parliamentarians because they are closer to the people.
He said the association decided to launch the campaign, during the election period because water, sanitation and hygiene are the cornerstone of a country’s growth and its citizen’s well-being, stating that councilors and Parliamentarians in Freetown, must sign a pledge that will hold them to ransom, to provide what they have promised in terms of water and sanitation.
In the programme, which took place at the Kroo Bay Community Centre on October 17, was well-attended by community members but it was very sad that of all the 10 political party councilors and parliamentarians invited by the network in constituency 106 and 107, only two candidates for councilors of the All People’s Congress (APC) for constituency 106 of Ward 375 and 376 were present at the occasion.
Turay said, even though the politicians are not present at the signing ceremony, the network will continue searching for them, while they are campaigning in their different communities, so that they can sign the social contract document.
He stated that politicians are not sincere, that is why the network wants to hold them responsible which to remind them of their promises after they must have won the elections.
Candidate for ward 375 councilor Hassan Bangura and Nylander Kargbo alias ‘Agbao’ candidate for councilor 376 said that water and sanitation is part of their agenda and promised that when they are voted in, water will be their primary focus.
Kargbo said he had settled to a very large extent the water problem in his constituency and will continue to emphasize in that area.
The councillors then signed the pledge document in support of their promise to their communities.
Also, it was noticed that the Kroo Bay community people were displeased, as their own candidates were not present at the programme.
By Emmanuella Kallon
ADVERTISEMENT