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WaterAid, Nigeria has concluded it’s Sanitation and Hygiene Improvement Project (SHIP) in Lagos, rehabilitating 34 dysfunctional toilet facilities and hand washing stations in schools and public health centres in Lagos State.
The project in partnership with Kimberly Clark Corporation was domiciled in Ikorodu North and Ojodu Local Council Development Area (LCDA) being the selected rural and peri-urban communities respectively for the project.
Country Director, WaterAid Nigeria, Evelyn Mere at the closing ceremony advised the leaderships of the two LCDAs to show commitment and reciprocate the gesture of the project by sustaining the gains of the Sanitation and Hygiene Improvement Project.
Represented by Kolawole Banwo, Head of Advocacy, Policy and Communication, WaterAid Nigeria, Mere stated at the End-of-Project meeting in Lagos, that over the last two years, WaterAid Nigeria with funding from the Kimberly Clark Corporation has been working with the government and people of Lagos State to implement the Sanitation and Hygiene Improvement Project (SHIP) in Ikorodu North and Ojodu Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs).
According to her, the project focused on improving health outcomes in target communities of the two LCDAs through the provision of decent toilets and hand washing stations complemented with hygiene promotion specifically targeted at pregnant and breastfeeding mothers.
“WaterAid Nigeria is proud of the milestones and achievements recorded under the project. This is a demonstration of what commitment and partnership can achieve in the bid to transform lives by making clean water, decent toilets, and good hygiene a normal part of daily life for everyone, everywhere,” she said.
Speaking further, it was revealed that WaterAid Nigeria with support from Kimberly Clark, rehabilitated 34 dysfunctional toilet facilities and hand washing stations in primary healthcare centres and schools within the state as well as trained members of the communities on maintainance of the facilities for sustainability.
“As part of the project’s objectives to strengthen systems, we established and trained Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Committee (WASHCOM) members as local resources to maintain the facilities provided. Also, in schools we established Environmental Health Clubs which are currently part of extracurricular activities in 40 schools within the state.
“To realise the project’s goal of increasing awareness of safe hygiene behaviour practices among pregnant and breastfeeding women as well as children, we undertook hygiene behaviour change campaigns using WaterAid’s ABCDE approach aimed at changing the setting in my people’s minds through cues, games, and takeaways to encourage the practice of good hygiene. We are proud to see that hygiene behaviour change campaigns have being incorporated into antenatal sessions within the healthcare centres where we intervened,” Mere said.
She however appreciated people who worked on the project to make it a success.
“We are particularly grateful to the Chairmen of Ikorodu North LCDA and Ojodu LCDA for their receptiveness and support throughout the implementation of the project.
“I enjoin the leadership of the LCDAs to demonstrate commitment by sustaining the gains of the projects so that all subsequent outcomes will be incremental until we achieve universal access to water, sanitation and hygiene in both LCDAs.”
Also at the event, Lagos State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, appreciated the efforts of WaterAid, Nigeria and Kimberly Clark Corporation in ensuring safe and hygienic condition in the two LCDAs.
Speaking through his representative, Adisa Yunusa, the commissioner appreciated WaterAid Nigeria for considering Lagos State for the project.
In his own remark, Chairman of Ojodu LCDA, Olusegun Odumbaku
appreciated the partnership of WaterAid Nigeria and Kimberly Clark Corporation stating that the collaboration has brought two projects to his LCDA and have successfully been commissioned to serve the people.
According to him, there is a new mindset about Local Government’s collaboration in a Public Private Partnership engagement and how the council area can use the same model to bring development and dividends of democracy to the grassroots.
