UNICEF and EU Fight for WASH in Niger Delta Communities

The United Nations Children’s Fund and the European Union have joined forces to check open defecation and also boost water and sanitation in Niger Delta States of Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo and Rivers.

Officials said the project known as Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project (RWSSP) has been aligned with the overall objective of the Niger Delta Support Programme (NDSP), which is to mitigate the conflict in the Niger Delta by addressing the main causes of the unrest and violence.

The Project Purpose or Specific Objective is to support rural water and sanitation institutions in the five project States (Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo and Rivers) to deliver sustainable water supply and sanitation services.

The Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programme is promoted by EU/UNICEF and serves as advocacy medium for government to institutionalize effective hand washing in schools, public institutions and communities.

UNICEF notes that the decision to focus attention in these states these states may not be unconnected with the popular believe that un-healthy sources of water can lead to certain avoidable diseases such as diarrhea or pneumonia, dysentery and the likes which is usually associated with children and or women in rural communities.

It is also observed that in some rural ‎communities with functional health care facilities, the highest numbers of in-patients are children because of being attacked by these diseases. This it is said to have been responsible for a yearly mortality rate of about 1.8million for children under the age of five, especially in rural communities without primary healthcare facilities.

Again, for the advocacy to gather global momentum, the UN in its wisdom sets aside October 15 of every year, to commemorate World Hand Washing Day.

In Akwa Ibom state this day was well observed with the theme, “Make Hand washing a habit.”

Speaking with The Guardian of the awareness so far created among the people of the two local government areas where the programme is being piloted in the state, the NSIT ATAI LGA facilitator, Mr. Terlumun Ashile, explained that, when they first visited the communities, it was noticed that the people had pre knowledge on sanitation issues, but that critical aspects were not followed.

“But with the introduction of this programme up to this time, there has been appreciable change in line with the best practice.

For example; the issue of having cover for pit latrines and hand-washing facilities being attached to the toilet facilities.”

“Before now the practice was going to the kitchen to wash hands after visiting the latrine, when we came we told them that it is better to wash hands at the point of defecation and so we construct hand washing facility at the point of usage.”

Ashile further explained that, on the issue of disposing of waste matter on an open space, “It was still disposed openly, we showed the communities on how to go about it and they agree to adopt the best practices, the communities are coping fine and we need to push them, we can say we have achieve 85 percent compliance.”

He said that, Nsit Atai had 63 communities out of which 30 of these communities have claimed to be Open Defecation Free (ODF).

According to him monitoring of other communities was ongoing, hoping that by the end of at least 20 more communities are expected to have achieved milestones in ending Open defecation.

“Our target is that before the end of this year a total of 50 communities will come to tell us that their communities cannot defecate on the open place again”.

He explained that the program, sponsored by European Union (EU)/UNICEF, is intended to foster and support a global and local culture of hand washing with soap as that would help in the control and prevention of diseases.

Read full article: The Guardian Nigeria

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Taxonomy

• Public Health
• Water Access
• Sanitation
• Water & Sanitation
• Water Supply
• Water Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH)

1 Comment

1. This is great..