UNICEF Kicks Off WASHFIT training to Strengthen WASH services in Health Facilities

By Uangbaoje Alex, Kaduna

In a bid to improve Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) interventions in health care facilities across Kaduna State, UNICEF has kicked off a four-day intensive training on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Facility Improvement Tool (WASHFIT).

The training, which runs from April 7 to 10, is part of the ongoing Training schedule of Accelerating Sanitation and Water for All (ASWA III) Project, jointly implemented by Kaduna and Adamawa states in collaboration with UNICEF and funded by the Netherlands Government.

Speaking during the training on Monday, David Damian, UNICEF WASH Officer in Kaduna Field Office, emphasized the importance of the program in building the capacity of health officials to independently manage and improve WASH infrastructure in their health facilities.

“Many health facilities currently operate with absence or shortage of WASH systems. This training is designed to empower health officials—especially those in charge of health centers—with the technical skills to implement WASHFIT, assess, and maintain WASH services without having to wait for external support,” Damian said.

WASHFIT approach, developed by the WHO through a resolution by the World Health Assembly in 2019 is a globally adopted tool designed to help countries, including Nigeria, ensure safe water and sanitation, good hygiene practices in health care environments. The tool supports health workers in assessing current situations, identifying gaps, and creating actionable improvement plans to ensure that even the most basic health facilities can deliver essential WASH services.

Participants of the training—drawn from state ministries, LGAs, and health care facilities leadership—will be taught how to conduct WASH assessments, risk analysis, perform incremental actions including minor repairs, and draft comprehensive WASH improvement strategies.

“In addition to learning how to maintain clean water supply and sanitation services, participants will be trained to understand the seven key WASH domains, including Water, Sanitation, Hygiene, Waste Management, Environmental Cleaning, Energy/Environment, Management/Workforce with two additional cross cutting themes of climate and gender/disability/social inclusion,” Damian added. “They will also submit their assessments outcome to the two (2) ASWA III local government authorities of Lere and Kagarko of Kaduna State, enabling consistent monitoring and progress tracking.”

At the end of the four-day training, participants are expected to cascade their knowledge by supporting WASHFIT facility-level interventions and pushing for upgrades from “no access” to “limited” and eventually to “basic” WASH service standards—the acceptable level.

The initiative marks a significant step toward sustainable health care delivery and aligns with broader public health goals to promote climate resilience, hygiene inclusion, and reduced disease burden in Nigerian communities.

In his remarks, the Director, Disease Control, Kaduna State Primary Healthcare Board (KADSPHCB), Hamza Abrahim Ikara, urged the participants to pay close attention to the facilitators and ensure they understand the objectives of the program.

According to him, the success of the WASHFIT program is depending on them and how they understands it because the overall results will depend on how the implementation is done.

On his part, Director, Water Supply, Kaduna State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA), Yanet Joel, noted that the workshop is timely and critical, especially as many health facilities lack basic WASH infrastructure.

He said “Over 35 WASH facilities are slated for construction and rehabilitation in rural communities of the two implementing LGAs of Lere and Kagarko. This, combined with increased community participation and support from leadership, will undoubtedly move Kaduna State forward.

“Without clean water and proper sanitation, it’s nearly impossible to uphold hygiene standards or control disease outbreaks,”

Yanet, added that the workshop marks another stride toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and reinforces Kaduna’s role as a leader in WASH advancement in northern Nigeria.

“Kaduna has already recorded significant progress, with ten LGAs declared Open Defecation Free (ODF). The state now targets to add two more LGAs to this list, bringing the total to twelve in the next few months,” He said.