LAGOS/Nigeria: In a remarkable effort to improve hygiene and sanitation in Lagos State, WaterAid, in partnership with Kimberly-Clark Corporation, has successfully rehabilitated 34 dilapidated toilet facilities and handwashing stations located in Primary Health Care centers and schools.
This significant achievement was unveiled at the End of Project Ceremony for the WaterAid-Kimberly-Clark Sanitation Hygiene Improvement Project (SHIP) on Friday in Lagos.
Evelyn Mere, the Country Director of WaterAid Nigeria, disclosed the project’s accomplishments during the ceremony, represented by Kolawole Banwo, the Head of Advocacy, Strategy, and Communication at WaterAid. Over the past two years, WaterAid, with financial support from Kimberly-Clark Corporation, collaborated with the Lagos State government and local communities to implement the Sanitation and Hygiene Improvement Project (SHIP) in Ikorodu North and Ojodu Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs).
The project’s primary objective was to enhance health outcomes in target communities within these two LCDAs by providing clean and functional toilets and handwashing facilities, along with targeted hygiene promotion activities for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers.
Mere expressed her pride in the project’s milestones and achievements, emphasizing the transformative power of commitment and collaboration. She stated, “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.”
As part of the project’s broader objectives to strengthen local systems, WaterAid established and trained Water Sanitation and Hygiene Committee (WASHCOM) members to maintain the newly provided facilities. In schools, Environmental Health Clubs were established as part of extracurricular activities in 40 schools across the state.
To further its goal of increasing awareness of proper hygiene practices among pregnant and breastfeeding women and children, WaterAid conducted hygiene behavior change campaigns using its ABCDE approach, designed to alter people’s mindsets through cues, games, and takeaways to promote good hygiene practices. Mere noted, “We are proud to see that hygiene behavior change campaigns have been incorporated into ante-natal sessions within the healthcare centers where we intervened.”
Mere expressed gratitude on behalf of the donor aid agency to all those who contributed to the project’s success. She specifically thanked the Chairmen of Ikorodu North and Ojodu LCDAs for their receptiveness and support throughout the project’s implementation. Furthermore, she acknowledged their commitment to sustaining the project’s outcomes, which were expected to be formalized in signed resolutions.
WaterAid also commended the Lagos State Government for its continuous support and urged them to replicate this effort to increase access to water, sanitation, and hygiene across the state. Mere concluded by emphasizing that the project’s conclusion marked the beginning of WaterAid’s ongoing intervention in these two LCDAs, expressing the hope that future outcomes would contribute to achieving universal access to water, sanitation, and hygiene in both areas.
