How UNICEF Water Project Saved us From Diseases – Kaduna Community Testifies…..as Deputy Rep Visits
By Alex Uangbaoje, Kaduna
A community mobiliser and leader in Angwar Jatau Gbagyi of Rido community in Kaduna State, has said that the community water scheme project provided by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), saved their children from all sorts of waterborne diseases.
Peter Dowoyi, who is also the Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Committee, Chairman in the community, added that before the installation of the water borehole, their children used to fall ill very often and that now the situation has changed.
“Our children don’t fall sick as they used to in the past. Typhoid, Malaria and cholera are common diseases in our community but today it’s history as we drink from the borehole provided to us by UNICEF.
“In this community we used to defecate openly in the past because we don’t have toilets in the community until UNICEF introduced WASH programme and now we have toilets in our houses.” Peter said.
He also noted that members of their community have stop buying sachet water because of the cleanliness of the water being release from the borehole.
This was part of the testimonies shared by members of the community when the received, Penille Lonside, Deputy Representative, UNICEF Nigeria, along with other Senior staff of UNICEF Kaduna Field office on Friday.
Addressing the visitors, Director Primary Healthcare, Chikun Local Government Area (LGA), Ruth Yohana commended UNICEF for selecting Unguwar Jatau, for its WASH project.
“Some of our communities lacks sanitary facilities and we have shortage of Staff to go around communities educating the people. We understand that those communities requires Sanitation and this community was privileged to get your interventions.
“We say thank you to UNICEF for this giant strides towards the betterment of people’s lives. Let me also appeal to the people women in particular to always attend antenatal and to visit health facilities during childbirth.
She noted, that the health centres in the LGA have enough staff to take care of them at the clinic during post natal and antenatal period.
Speaking with journalist, after listening to the people and after being taken round the water facility and visiting a healthcare clinic in another nearby community of Rido Hausa, Pernille Ironside, expressed satisfaction over the passion of the people towards their community.
“What really strikes me is the importance of the community in all of these interventions, is making sure the community is open defecation free, mothers now knows that there are services and that they are free and are available to them at the health clinic and are getting access during pregnancy and afterwards.
“And the relationship between the health clinic, the workers, the management and the relationship which they build with the community, and the awareness.
“Similarly, the WASH Committee and the people are feeling the relationship and the people really see the difference and that strikes me and I feel very heartened to see the impart this is having in the people’s every day life.” She said.
The water project is fifteen (15) litres capacity and was co-funded by the Kaduna State Government, UNICEF and the UK Government.
