By Akanji Alowolodo, Bauchi
A total of 26 million people have been empowered with context-specific hygiene behaviour change promotion packages of tools and insights that were designed to help them protect themselves from COVID-19 across the country.
The empowerment was done under the funding by Heineken Africa Foundation Scale-up Hygiene Phase I and II implemented by WaterAid in collaboration with the Government and Civil Society partners.
The project also installed 270 non-contact and inclusive handwashing facilities in health centres, schools and public places just as hygiene packs were distributed to marginalized communities to help curb the spread of waterborne diseases.
The disclosure was made by the Country Director of WaterAid Nigeria, Dr Evelyn Mere represented by the Program Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Officer in Bauchi, Meshack Mallo while speaking at the launch of Phase III of the Scale-up Hygiene project held at the Hazibal Suites, Bauchi on Thursday.
The participating states of the project in Nigeria are Bauchi, Benue, Ekiti, Enugu, Kaduna, and Oyo.
According to her, the project was in response to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in 2020 pointing out that WaterAid received funding to begin implementing a large-scale hygiene behaviour change project in the six states under the first phase of the Scale-Up Hygiene project and a second phase in Bauchi, Enugu, and Oyo states.
She explained that the project objectives were to influence communities and the public to adopt key hygiene behaviours that will help curb the spread of infectious diseases like COVID 19, install contactless and inclusive handwashing facilities in strategic locations and influence government stakeholders to prioritize water, sanitation, and hygiene access as part of a sustained and effective integrated approach for dealing with the pandemic.
She said that, “With the unwavering support of our partners and stakeholders, we achieved key milestones that realized the project’s objectives” .
“We are delighted to continue this journey and partnership as we embark on the third phase of the project in Bauchi State to curb the spread of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases which continues to pose a huge threat to the public and the economy, exacerbating poverty, poor quality healthcare services and deepening already existing inequalities”.
Evelyn Mere further said that the Scale-up Hygiene Phase III project will build on achieved milestones from the first and second phases of the project, deepening the project’s strategies and building on existing partnerships to increase access to improved hygiene, reduce t spread of the virus, and support national and sub-national governments to integra water, sanitation, and hygiene in their COVID-19 response and vaccination strategy.
“We will intensify our hygiene behaviour change response and in collaboration with our partners, build on the existing momentum to achieve the overarching goal of transforming lives through sustained access to water, sanitation, and hygiene”, She also said.
The WaterAid Nigeria Country Director added that, “We commend our partners for their unrelenting efforts in realizing this goal and ask for your continued support as we forge ahead to attain even greater strides that guarantee progress in access levels to water, sanitation, and hygiene”.
She stressed that, “Access to water, sanitation and hygiene services are fundamental to improving live health, livelihoods, gender equality, education outcomes and driving economic and sustainable development” .
She however assured that, “Now, more than ever, the basic human rights to these essential services must be upheld, with particular attention given to the poorest, most vulnerable, and marginalized segments of the population to ensure we leave one behind” .
In his remarks, Acting General Manager of Bauchi RUWASSA, Engnr Ibrahim Yusuf commended WaterAid Nigeria and Heineken Africa Foundation for the projects implemented in the First and Second Phases saying that the state has really benefited immensely.
He added that considering the importance of WASH issues in the society particularly in the rural communities, RUWASSA will continue to partner with relevant agencies in ensuring a safer environment.
The RUWASSA Acting GM appreciated the launch of the Third phase of the project in the state assuring that the agency will actively participate in the implementation of the project to ensure that the objectives are achieved.
