WaterAid Gh, Accra Great Olympics sign 2yr pact to fight COVID-19

WaterAid Ghana, a not-for-profit organization has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with One of Ghana’s oldest traditional football club, Accra Great Olympics to undertake a two year community mobilization campaign.

The signing ceremony took place  at the Mensvic Grand Hotel in Accra yesterday.

According to WaterAid Ghana, it’s partnership with the Dade club seek to leverage on the publicity and exposure of the Wonder Club in the past as well as their current form which is a manifestation on the league block.

It is ur hope that this initiative achieve its aim as a community support drive  to alleviate challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic along the coastal areas of Accra

The Head of Policy, Advocacy and Campaign at WaterAid Ghana, Mr George Cobbina Yorke, addressing gathering, said his outfit was committed to using football as a social mobilization tool towards educating the people within the coastal vicinity in Accra.

“We are glad to have Great Olympics on board in our push to get the education on COVID-19 adherence through to the coastal areas in Accra. The focus is to spread it across the other clubs going forward and we believe that could be addressing.

According to him, Accra Great Olympics caught his entity’s attention following the team’s superb run of form in the 2020/2021 Ghana Premier League.

WaterAid Ghana, he explained believes in a world where everyone everywhere has access to safe water, toilets and hygiene education, thus it has been working with people in the world’s poorest communities to build taps and toilets, campaign for change and bolster the skills of local families in 26 countries in the past 34 years.

On his part, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Great Olympics, Mr Ato Coleman, described the partnership as the best to thing to have happened especially when the majority of the club’s support base emanated from the coastal areas of Accra.

“The decision to bring these two entities together towards fighting this pandemic should be lauded because propagating the need to adhere to the COVID-19 protocols should be a priority especially in the coastal areas of Accra where our core supporters come from.

“We are ready to commence the education with community outreaches and together with WaterAid, I believe we are on course to help fight this pandemic in our communities.” he promised.

Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the program, board chairman of the club, Mr Amarkai Amarteifio, thanked WaterAid for partnering with the club and highlighted that the rich history and performance of the club in recent years has put them in the position to lead this campaign.

Meanwhile, chairman of coalition of NGO’s in Water and Sanitation, Mr Yaw Attah Arhin who was present at the signing ceremony applauded the decision of the two organizations to come together to help bring behavioural change in areas where it was difficult to comply with the COVID-19 protocols.

On his part, the chairman of the Ghana League Clubs Association (GHALCA), Mr Kudjoe Fianoo, thanked Olympics for being the pacesetters in the trumpeting of the need to adhere to COVID-19 protocols especially in communities where they have their support base.

Mr Fianoo, who doubles as the Executive Director of Olympics, said WaterAid’s decision to partner Olympics through football was going to achieve great success especially when the sport was loved by all Ghanaians.

“This is an initiative worth celebrating and I look forward to seeing it spread across other clubs to help in the fight against this canker that has deprived us for a very long time.”

By Franklin ASARE-DONKOH