The Veronica bucket is a household name in many domestic and public spaces in Ghana. Since it was invented in 1993, it has served the important purpose of providing running water for various sanitation purposes in Ghana and beyond.

Also, the Veronica bucket has been instrumental in the fight against COVID-19 by promoting hand washing with soap under running water.

Veronica Ayele Bekoe comes from Jamestown in Accra, Ghana. Veronica received her basic education in Accra and later went to Aburi Girls' Senior High School for her secondary education. For her higher education, Veronica studied at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) from1968 to1972. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biological Science/Biology. Veronica worked with the Public Health and Reference Laboratory of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) from 1972-2008.

Sharing how she came up with the Veronica bucket, Veronica recounts that she discovered the idea through a sanitation problem whiles working at the public reference laboratory. In 1993, a consultant called Joan Hetrick was sent by the Ghana Health Service to provide training for laboratory workers in the country, and Veronica was chosen to accompany her.

On the tour, Veronica noted that some of the facilities did not have running water. Laboratory workers used bowls containing water to wash their hands. She was concerned about the health implications of using stagnant water to wash hands after each lab session.

According to Veronica, this situation motivated her to create something that could provide running water in times of need. She made a container from a piece of aluminium sheet and had a tap fixed to it. That marked the birth of the first Veronica bucket which served the purpose successfully. Later, many copies were made using different materials and were distributed across the various health facilities in the country.

In an interview, Veronica revealed that the name ‘Veronica bucket’ was proposed by Joan Hetrick, who was impressed with Veronica’s creativity and problem-solving abilities.

Veronica’s name is now recognized worldwide for the fame of the Veronica bucket. During the time she worked in the Ghana Health Service, Veronica was the prime person for the National AIDS/STI Control Program. Ghana's First Lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo awarded Veronica Ayele Bekoe for her social innovation.

REFERENCE

Information from https://connecting-classrooms.britishcouncil.org/resources/home-learning/bringing-covid-19-under-control/veronica-bucket,

https://yen.com.gh/165651-veronica-bekoe-7-top-facts-genius-ghanaian-woman-designed-veronica-bucket-video.html, https://mobile.ghanaweb.com/person/Veronica-Bekoe-3394 was used in this story