We are University of Nottingham students who have a vision
What we do
SANkofa is one of the newest social enterprises out of Enactus Nottingham’s innovation profile. We aim to improve hygiene and living standards across impoverished communities in New Edubiase, Ghana, by empowering local entrepreneurs and encouraging sanitary practices.
We conducted a needs assessment for the chosen area and identified three key social problems; unsustainable farming practices, general health dangers from cooking and open defecation.
Health dangers from cooking
The burning of harmful fuels contributes to risks imposed on the healthcare of locals. In most of these societies, women spend between three and seven hours per day near the stove cooking with harmful fuels such as wood. According to the WHO, a third of non-smoking females are sufferers of lung cancer due to an excessive amount of smoke inhalation whilst cooking.
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Unsustainable farming
With 96.6% of the working population in the area working within the agricultural industry, the poor accessibility to resources for farmers is a major cause for concern. The average daily income of a farmer in this region is equivalent to only £4.00. This means that farmers are unable to afford the high prices of nutrients such as fertiliser, with the government only making necessary provision of fertiliser for 20% of the farming population.
Open defecation
An alarming one in five Ghanaians have no access to a toilet and over 15% of the population in the Ashanti region alone practice open defecation. This lack of sanitation through open defecation contributes to diarrhoea and the spread of intestinal parasites as well as dangerous diseases such as cholera. Alarmingly, it is also reported that 95.2% of girls in rural villages in Ghana often skip school due to menstruation. These girls not only face discomfort from sharing toilets during this time but are also prevented from being able to learn effectively.
With low crop yield, limited nutritional supply and extensive health dangers we decided to take action.