Goats, snakes, frogs and even cows frequently enter the dilapidated kitchen where meals are prepared for pupils of Nyariga Doone Girls Primary School in the Bolgatanga Municipality, raising concerns about food safety and the health of the children.
The kitchen has broken windows and doors, cracked walls, exposed nails, pieces of wood and roofing sheets falling off, and a damaged floor, leaving the facility exposed to animals, reptiles and insects.
School cook Rebecca Atanga says preparing meals under such conditions has become a major concern.
“Sometimes you find stray animals, goats, snakes, frogs and even cows entering the kitchen to drink water. When you cook food under this structure, you are likely to contaminate the food and expose the children to health hazards,” Madam Atanga said.
She said conditions become even more worrying during the rainy season, when flies, mosquitoes and other potential disease-carrying organisms become prevalent around the facility.
Nyariga Doone Girls Primary, the only girls’ primary school in the Bolgatanga Municipality, provides meals to its pupils but continues to rely on the deteriorated structure as its kitchen.
A founding member of the school, John Akarbo, said the facility has deteriorated to the point where it can no longer adequately serve the school.
“This is a feeding school. We have a kitchen which is completely damaged and in a dilapidated state. It is no longer serving the needs of the people,” Mr Akarbo stated.
Faced with the challenge, members of the Nyariga Doone community have begun constructing a new kitchen with resources they mobilised themselves.
The community has, however, only been able to raise the structure to about waist level and says its limited financial resources have made it difficult to continue construction.
Mr Akarbo appealed to the Bolgatanga Municipal Assembly, philanthropists, Friends of Prosper and individuals who have previously supported the development of the school to help complete the facility.
The community is also appealing to the government, corporate organisations and the general public for financial and material support to complete the new kitchen.
Residents believe completing the facility will provide a safer and more hygienic environment for preparing meals and reduce the health risks pupils currently face.
A1 Radio | 101.1 MHz | Joseph Napoleon Anaaya | Bolgatanga
