WaterAid Nigeria, in partnership with The Church of Latter-day Saint Charities, has unveiled a 250,000 dollars project to improve access to potable water and sanitation in Bwari Area Council, FCT.
The project, unveiled on Tuesday, will be implemented through the provision of water, sanitation and hygiene services as well as education on infection, prevention and control for improved health services in primary healthcare centre.
The project is expected to reach over 1,500 people with these basic services.
According to the 2021 Water, Sanitation and Hygiene National Outcome Routine Mapping Survey (WASHNORMS), only nine per cent of healthcare facilities in Abuja have access to water, sanitation and hygiene services.
Evelyn Mere, Country Director of WaterAid Nigeria, said in collaboration with the FCT Primary Healthcare Board, Bwari Area Council, the organisation would achieve the target through systems strengthening to create the enabling environment.
This, she said would ensure sustainability, the construction, rehabilitation and upgrade of gender inclusive water and sanitation facilities in one PHC.
She said WaterAid would also train facility caretakers to operate and maintain WASH, waste management and handwashing facilities and carry out hygiene promotion activities for improved hygiene behaviours for disease control.
Mere said healthcare workers were faced each day with the occupational hazards of picking up infectious diseases when they were unable to wash their hands after interacting with patients.
“This makes it difficult for them to get their work done; in various circumstances, they are expected to fetch water to take care of the needs of patients putting additional burden on them.
“Healthcare centres should be a place where clients get quality services free from the risk of contracting infectious diseases.
“And that is why we have collaborated with the church to reach everyone everywhere with clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene,’’ she said.
According to the 2021 WASHNORM, only 10 per cent of the population has access to basic water, sanitation, and hygiene services, while 68 million people lack access to basic drinking water services.