Kuyizhi Community in Kuje Area Council of FCT has commended the efforts of the African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development (Centre LSD) in its advocacy and sanitation campaign in the area.

A cross section of members of the community who spoke to the Press on Thursday in Kuje, said they had experienced a new lease of life since the intervention of the group in their area.

A resident of the area, Mrs Martha Ilimiya, told newsmen that the advocacy campaigns had emboldened the people to task their leaders to provide social amenities for them.

“The campaigns have taught us how to approach our leaders, councillors, chairmen of our communities to meet our needs for good roads, hospitals and water facilities.

“We have gained more knowledge on how to demand for our rights for the provision of social amenities from them.

“We can now also hold our political leaders to be accountable to their electioneering promises,’’ she said.

Ilimiya expressed satisfaction that the group’s sanitation initiative had reduced open defecation and its adverse effects in the community.

“Since their intervention in our community, open defecation is gradually fading out, and we are building our toilets now,’’ she said.

Speaking along the same vein, Mrs Rebecca Ayuba, a farmer, said that the introduction of hand washing by the centre had being of immense benefit to the community.

“We have stopped open defecation and have imbibed the habit of washing our hands especially after using the toilet and before eating and preparing our meals.

“Diseases like cholera and dysentery that occur as a result of open defecation and not washing our hands have been reduced in our community.

“The centre has opened our eyes to see the light and life in a different way and we are grateful,’’ Ayuba said.

Also speaking, Mr Victor Markus said the sensitisation campaigns gave them the opportunity to manage the waste generated in the community.

“We use to litter our environment with solid waste, but now, we sweep, gather and burn them and we can now proudly invite guests to Kuyizhi because our community is very clean,’’ he said.

The Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Committee (WASHCOM) chairman, Mr Ayuba Tanko said  30 out of a 100 households in the community had built their toilets.

He said: “We will mobilise our community through songs and rallies to stop open defecation.”

On his part, Mr Monday Osasah, Project Coordinator, Centre LSD, commended the community for being receptive and for quickly adopting the centre’s sanitation initiatives.

He tasked households that had yet to complete their toilets to do so on time in order to curb the spread of water borne diseases.

He expressed the hope that with the level of commitment shown by the people of the community, they would celebrate their open defecation free status by January 2012.

It is on record that the Centre LSD began its intervention and advocacy campaign in the Kuyizhi Community in September with support from the Canadian International Development Agency.