(MONROVIA, Liberia, December 13, 2024)—the Ministry of Health, through its Environmental and Occupational Health (EOH) Unit, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), conducted a day-long capacity-building training on December 13, 2024 in Congo Town. The training focused on equipping staff with skills in digital data collection using the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Facilities Improvement Tool (WASH FIT) Kobo version. Developed by WHO, this tool will be used to gather WASH-related data from healthcare facilities, aiming to enhance healthcare delivery across the country. The training session was facilitated by WHO representative Mr. Quincy Trisoh Goll. Speaking at the event, the Director of the Environmental and Occupational Health Unit (EOHU), Mr. Orlando Chenoweth, stressed the importance of the training and encouraged participants to maximize the opportunity to enhance their field performance.

“I want to welcome everyone to this session. The knowledge acquired here will be invaluable during our upcoming assessments. We are set to launch two separate assessments simultaneously. One will cover all 15 counties, focusing on public health centers and hospitals, and will be conducted by an Environmental Health Technician (EHT). The other will be carried out by EOHU Central staff in Bassa, Margibi, Bong, and Nimba counties specifically. This one will focus on all health facilities across these counties. The Kobo Collect data collection toolbox will help to eliminate duplication of work and streamline data collection processes,” Mr. Chenoweth noted.The training serves as preparation for the upcoming WASH in Healthcare Facilities Status Assessment, which will utilize the WASH FIT Kobo Collect version. The assessment is set to begin on Monday, December 16, 2024, across all 15 counties. The primary goal of the assessment is to collect essential WASH-related data from healthcare facilities to guide WASH interventions and policy decisions aimed at improving healthcare service delivery.