Voltic Ghana Limited, a subsidiary of Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA), has alleviated the age-long water burden of women and children in Agubie and Offuman in the Techiman North district of the Bono East Region – by installing mechanised boreholes that save them the effort of carrying water for long distances.
The boreholes were unveilled in Agubie and Guakro Effah Senior High Schools to enable the supply of potable water and put a stop to women walking long distances to get water, and prevent children from missing school just to carry water.
The borehole in Agubie will also support the Community Health Planning Services (CHPS) compound, which serves the town and 15 other towns with water to provide proper healthcare services for new and expecting mothers. Agubie is a farming community with over 700 inhabitants, surrounded by six satellite villages with an estimated population of 1,500 people.
Guakro Effah, on the other hand, is a second cycle institution with over 500 students and 22 teaching and non-teaching staff. The borehole at the school is also expected to serve the town of Offuman, with a population of 8,000.
Voltic Managing Director, Simon Everest, said the Coca-Cola system is using its industry leadership to achieve positive change in the world and build a more sustainable future for the planet. “Because women are integral to our continent’s shared success, we seek to empower women both in the workplace and through community programmes,” Mr. Everest said.
The MD of Voltic took the opportunity to appeal for the community to avoid plastic litter in order to make the environment safe for all – stating that Voltic has committed to collect as much plastic as it put into the market by 2023, and to achieve a 100% recycling rate by next year.
In a different corporate social responsibility project sponsored by Voltic GH, schoolgirls in Takoradi got a taste of the future in science and technology as they partook in a robotics training session. In all, 64 girls from St Peters International School, Ahenema School and New Generation School between ages 15 and 19 were taken through a hands-on lesson in robot-building.
The very practical training programme was aimed at inspiring them to pursue further studies and a career in the male-dominated fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
According to the organisers, STEM education in Africa is very low – especially the female to male-ratio compared with the rest of the world; yet it is key to the development of competitive industries, innovation and participation in the knowledge economy, hence the need to introduce these girls to the course so as to drive their interest in the field.
Founder, Girls in Science and Technology (GIST) – the facilitation partner of the robotics training, Ohemaa Andoh, in her interaction with the girls indicated that many young people at the early stages of their life are not privy to the fact that STEM can transform their lives and society; however with more education, information, awareness-creation and by making opportunities available, the nation can identify and help develop the amazing talents out there.
