Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), a Foreign Common Wealth Development Office (FCDO) funded programme has inaugurated Systems for Health Programme (WS4H) in Kano.
Inaugurating the programme in Kano, the Programme Manager, Mr John Wali, explained that the programme aimed to significantly enhance access to and utilization of inclusive, reliable and resilient WASH services in Nigeria and Sierra Leone.
He said that WS4H was funded by FCDO to the tune of 5 million pounds and the programme duration was four years (2024-2028).
According to him, WS4H focuses particularly on empowering women and girls, geared towards fortifying the foundational pillars such as institutions, policies and regulations.
“WASH services in overreaching vision is to utilize UK Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) as a catalyst for mobilizing diverse funding streams, encompassing both public and private sources.
“Self Help Africa (SHA), an international development organisation, headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, committed to the vision of ‘Sustainable livelihoods and healthy lives for all in a changing climate.
“With nearly 50 years of experience working across 17 countries, including Nigeria since 1999, our organisation has achieved significant milestones such as facilitating Nigeria’s first open defecation free (ODF) LGA in 2016.
“In Nigeria, as implementing partners, Self Help Africa (SHA) will forge strategic alliances with the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation along side state government and relevant institution in conjunction with consortium of partners,” he said.
Earlier, Director, Water Quality Control and Sanitation, Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, Mrs Elizabeth Ugo, said that the Federal Government’s aim was to address challenges by working together with local communities, government and non-governmental agencies, and international partners.
Represented by Chief Scientific Officer of the Ministry, Hajiya Amina Musa, further said that they aim to build resilient WASH systems that are sustainable, inclusive and capable of meeting the needs of all individuals, particularly the vulnerables.
“The significance of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) cannot be over stated. Access to clean water, adequate sanitation and proper hygiene practices are fundamental to human health and dignity,” she said.
Some of the participants who spoke to our said that the programme would go along way in solving problems related to water and sanitation.
