The Sekondi Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly has organised a two-day training on Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) for three schools within the Metropolis.

The training would nurture the pupils to become "WASH ambassadors" to help combat open defecation in three coastal communities; New Takoradi, Nkotonpo, and Ngyireeia in the Metropolis.

The participants also included chiefs, assembly members and unit committee leaders, headteachers, school-based health coordinators, and Metro School Health Officers among others.

They were taken through hygiene promotion, children's role in Community-led total sanitation, behaviour change communication and social norms.

The Metropolitan Director of Education, Mrs Elizabeth Akouko said children were key in controlling the menace of open defecation when equipped with knowledge of the consequences of such misbehaviour.

The ultimate aim is to ensure that the Metropolis was open defecation-free.

She urged participants to take the session seriously and acquire the needed knowledge, skills, and techniques to effectively operate in the targeted communities.

Mr. Abdul-Mumin Issah, the Metropolitan Chief Executive said the assembly launched a sanitation campaign in April this year to fight some environmental challenges confronting the City.

He stated that collaborating with community leaders and schools especially along the coast to form sanitation clubs to regularly hold durbars to educate on healthy lifestyle was the new approach adopted by the assembly.

Mr Issah said the assembly over the years through various interventions had supported landlords and Community leaders to construct household and Community toilets.

According to him, the assembly would conduct a baseline survey on the sanitation situation, develop a five-year strategy and action plan for the water and sanitation sector.

He said the assembly in partnership with the private sector would rehabilitate existing and develop new Community and public toilets facilities in the Metropolis.

The MCE, therefore, entreated the selected schools and community leaders to serve as good ambassadors...and together we can make Sekondi Takoradi great again.