How many countries are in Africa?

54

Ghana Capitol: Accra Population: 27 million Number of people with out clean drinking water: 3 million people What percentage of the population is that?

Lack of access to clean water can lead to: Missed school days for children Children dropping out of school Diseases Conflict And many more things…

What can we do? We will now learn about a problem that is very common in Ghana and other places in Africa. We will then break up into small groups of your choosing, or you may work on your own. We will think about possible solutions to the problem.

Background: Grace is an 11-year-old girl who lives in HoHoe, Ghana. This village is very small and in a rural location. This area is known for having problems with clean drinking water. Recently, Grace is missing more days of school than she is attending them. Read the following facts to try to understand the problem, and then think about a solution.

A) It takes 45 minutes to walk from Grace’s house to downtown. Downtown is where Grace’s school and the water pump are. Her family does not own a car, so they must walk. B) There is no running water in Grace’s home or in her neighbors’ home. In the mornings before school, Grace and her mom walk to the pump to get jugs of water for cooking and drinking. Her mom used to go alone, but she injured her foot and needs help carrying the jugs. C) After getting the water, Grace then walks back downtown to go to school, but sometimes she is late to school or too tired after carrying the jugs. Sometimes she can catch a bus, but she often misses it because the bus schedule changes without warning. D) There is a river 10 minutes from Grace’s house, but the water is polluted and unsafe to drink. E) A team of volunteers set up a well 10 minutes from Grace’s home, but the well broken and no one is trained on how to fix it. If you could change one thing to help Grace and her community, what would you change and why? 1. Clean the water in the river close to Grace’s house 2. Have Grace’s mom’s foot fixed 3. Improve the bus system in Grace’s community 4. Train a local Engineer to fix the well that was built by the volunteers 5. A different idea!

Sharing of ideas and questions? Share ideas!