IWAN & Jackie Appiah for WASH UNited‏

Leading screen actress Jackie Appiah, and dancehall artiste IWAN, have joined international football superstars Didier Drogba, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Stephen Appiah and many others across the globe to endorse WASH United, a unique coalition of international and African civil society organizations, United Nations agencies, and governments to promote access to safe drinking WAter, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) for all people, everywhere.

Ghana’s WASH-United campaign is an event setting the scene for a drive around the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The campaign aims to unite all Ghanaians to take advantage of the enthusiasm generated by the World Cup to sensitize the public to push for the right to water and sanitation to be written into the national constitution and to promote personal and public hygiene as a way of life.

The Campaign will be launched on the 11th of June 2010 at the British Council Hall, Accra.

To be attended by civil society organizations, water sector institutions, government representatives as well as people from the world of sports, it will be formally launched by the Hon. Alban Bagbin, Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing.

The German Ambassador to Ghana will be the Special Guest of Honour. Dr Joseph Amankwah, the Director of Public Health of the Ghana Health Service will chair the occasion.

Taking advantage of the burgeoning football fever sweeping across the African continent leading up to, and during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, using football as a tool and engaging African and international football stars as champions, WASH United will promote safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene for all in Sub-Saharan Africa by

• tackling taboos surrounding sanitation and help create demand for sanitation;

• promoting hand washing with soap;

• advocating for political decision-makers in Africa and in the North to promote the       right to water and sanitation;

• sensitizing people that, access to safe drinking water and sanitation is a human right, not charity.

Story by PaJohn Bentsifi Dadson