National Wire About Nigerians, Nigerian Business and Other Stories
Country Director, WaterAid Nigeria, Evelyn Mere has said that 2.3 billion people around the world lack access to hand washing facilities.
Mere said this during the commemoration of Global Hand washing Day 2023 in Ikorodu, Lagos State held at Isiwu Junior Grammar School, Ikorodu North Local Council Development Area, that 2.3billon people around the world lack access to soap and water to wash their hands according to a research and there is need to work on the reality to change the narrative.
Speaking through the Sanitation and Hygiene Consultant of the organisation, Grace Uwadiale, Mere said, “Recent studies show an estimated 2.3 billion people around the world do not have soap and water to wash their hands at home, while one of three healthcare facilities do not have hand washing facilities,” she said.
Explaining the importance of the celebration, she said, “October 15th has been dedicated globally for advocating and effectively re-echoing the importance of hand hygiene as an easy way and first line of defence for saving lives though prevention of diseases.
“In Nigeria, about 117 million people lack access to hygiene services as shown by the findings from 2021 Water, Sanitation and Hygiene National Outcome Routine Mapping Survey (WASHNORMS). We need to rethink these realities to accelerate investments in this important sector,” she said.
With the global theme of the 2023 commemoration, ‘Clean hands are within reach’, Mere said, it is an expression of optimism that, having learnt from experiences of the COVID-19 era, nations would have put in place the necessary actions and made the needed investments to make hand washing an integral part of public health interventions and empower citizens to be able to wash their hands as much as necessary.
Buttressing the fact that clean hands are within reach, the Country Director however promised that, “In order to consolidate and increase gains from the recently concluded Kimberly-Clark Foundation funded Sanitation and Hygiene Improvement Project (SHIP), WaterAid Nigeria with support from The Church of Jesus Christ of the Later Day Saints will rehabilitate sanitation facilities in Isiwu Junior Grammar School and in other public places within Sabo, Itamaga and water facilities in Idera, Rolu, Parafa and Ita-Oluwo communities in Ikorodu North.”
Appreciating the Permanent Secretary/Tutor General, Education District II, Principal, Management and staffers of the school for enabling the organsiaiton the access to facilitate development in the area, she however urged the Lagos State government, Ikorodu North LCDA, Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the state in charge with the responsibilities of Water and Sanitation Hygiene provision to invest more funding in critical infrastructural services and behavioral change campaigns to enable the attainment of global hygiene targets.
