…declares two LGAs open defecation free, task govt on WASH investment
Kazeem Akolawole
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has disclosed that only 12 percent of healthcare facilities in the entire Borno State have access to basic Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) services.
The UNICEF Northeast Chief of Field Officer, Phuong Nguyen, at a 2-day media dialogue on open defecation in Biu, Borno State, quoting 2021 WASHNORM report, said only 14 per cent of schools, 12 per cent of health care facilities and 0.4 per cent of public places in Borno State have access to basic WASH services.
Nguyen tasked governments at all levels to invest more to strengthen sustainability efforts, including sensitisation on hygiene services as she admonished communities to be accountable in the protection and maintenance of WASH facilities.
She said for Biu and Shani to maintain their Open Defecation Free (ODF) status, key elements of the construction of toilets in institutions such as schools, health centres and markets must be sustained.
“Households must be supported to maintain their improved toilets just as access to safe water for households and public institutions must be sustained,” she said.
Nguyen further explained that open defecation is a threat to child survival, particularly those who live in communities affected by conflict.
She said, “The designation of Biu and Shani as open defecation free is a gift to vulnerable children and families.
“We cannot withdraw this gift. Rather, we must improve on the status quo and extend what has worked here to other communities in Borno State. Indeed, if it is possible in Biu and Shani, it is possible for other communities too.
“As this field visit continues, it is important to bear in mind that becoming open defecation-free is a journey, and not a destination. There are key elements of this journey that we must maintain.”
“These include a sustained access to safely managed water and improved toilets both at the household and institutional levels. In Biu, Shani and elsewhere in Borno State, Government must lead and invest more in water, sanitation and hygiene facilities.
“A child who has access to improved toilet services at school is at risk when she or he visits their parents at a market without an improved toilet and access to water.
“A mother who gives birth in a healthcare facility without a water facility is, along with her newborn, at risk of infection and even death.”
“Government and stakeholders must collaborate to improve on this. Through the Borno State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA), UNICEF has been working with Government to improve children’s chances of survival. We will continue to strengthen this partnership and deliver for more children and communities.”
