USAID Moves To Improve Sanitation, Reduce Waterborne Disease In Nigeria

USAID Moves To Improve Sanitation, Reduce Waterborne Disease In Nigeria.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has launched a new Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) services activity to improve water resource management, increase access to proper sanitation, and encourage good hygiene behaviours in the North-West states of Kebbi and Sokoto.
The official launch of the WASH was performed at a colourful ceremony in Abuja, attended by top functionaries of the US Mission in Nigeria and governments of the affected states.
The new USAID Improved Sustainability of Integrated WASH Services (iWASH) activity will help state agencies reduce water-borne diseases and associated socio-economic challenges through an innovative, integrated approach, focusing on improving access to iWASH services in health centres, schools, and underserved communities.
Speaking at the event, the USAID Development Outreach and Communications Specialist, Amarachi Obinna-Nnadi, said, “This activity will help Kebbi and Sokoto states provide better community WASH services and contribute to improved health outcomes”.
According to UNICEF, fewer than 40 percent of Sokoto and Kebbi residents have access to reliable basic water and sanitation services.
Up to 70,000 Nigerians die from preventable waterborne diseases a year, UNICEF reports.
The two-year, $2million iWASH activity will rehabilitate water points, construct new solar-powered boreholes, build latrines and handwashing stations, and install an innovative new online remote surveillance system known as PumpView.
In addition to promoting good watershed management, providing improved water services, the activity will market and advocate for good hygiene behaviours such as hand washing before and after eating, properly storing water, and thoroughly cleaning implements for preparing and consuming foodstuffs.
USAID is engaging the Nigerian Green Habitat Initiative (GHI) to manage a coalition of local organisations to improve access to improved water resources management and address broader social determinants for conflicts over scarce water resources.
In many cases, these entities are part of the beneficiary communities and extend the reach of local WASH service providers.
iWASH will also help government institutions and communities coordinate sanitation and hygiene processes and water resources management to maintain operation and maintenance of sanitary facilities and engage the private sector through social enterprise marketing to communities vulnerable to sanitation-related diseases.
In his remarks, the Sokoto Commissioner of Water Resources, Umar Bature, said, “We are happy that the new WASH program will look into cultural orientation of community members and educate them on good sanitation and hygiene practices.
“Sokoto will provide all the necessary support for iWASH to succeed”, he added.
GHI’s approach to implementing the activity will include a strong focus on equality and non-discrimination to ensure women and other disadvantaged groups are given the opportunity to equally participate and make significant contributions in reaching the goal of better water and sanitation services and hygienic community behaviours in Sokoto and Kebbi, Obinna-Nnadi said.