The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) will carry out regular state-wide sensitisation campaign on sanitation and hygiene in Kaduna state in 2017.
Mrs Theresa Pamma, UNICEF Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Specialist in the state, made the disclosure on Thursday in Kaduna in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
She said campaign had become necessary to save children from preventable diseases.
She said that UNICEF and Kaduna State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA) had concluded plans to commence the campaign from the first quarter of 2017.
She added that the campaign would continue until every household across the 23 Local Government Areas of the state embrace good hygiene and sanitation practice as an attitude.
“This is what is being achieved in Sanitation, Hygiene and Water in Nigeria (SHAWN), phase II project implementing LGAs in the state, particularly in the three pilot LGAs namely Chikun, Kachia and Kubau.
“Due to the success stories in the three LGAs, the project was extended to eight more LGAs namely Lere, Soba, Jaba, Jema’a, Kajuru, Zangon Kataf, Giwa and Kudan.
“We want to see what impact we will make through the enlightenment campaign before the project is expanded to cover the whole LGAs in the state, “she said.
Also speaking, Mr Utpal Moitra, the Chief of Field Office, UNICEF, Kaduna state, said the campaign would drive the needed attitudinal change among rural dwellers on good sanitation and hygiene.
He said several children dying from poor hygiene and sanitation related diseases would be saved if the enlightenment campaign is held on regular bases.
“Just like we have the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health week and polio immunisation campaign; if we can have campaign on hand washing, sanitation, many lives will be saved.
“If we can do this on regular bases, it will deepen the practice of good hygiene and environmental sanitation practice as an attitude in communities”.
“All we want the people to embrace is to wash their hands with clean water always, stop open defecation and keep their environment clean.
“By so doing, germs will be prevented from entering the body of our children,’’ he said.
Malam Bashir Lere, Manager, RUWASSA in Kaduna state, said the government had earmarked N698 million for interventions to improve access to sanitation, hygiene and water in 2017.
He said that the government had expended close to one billion from inception of the SHAWN II project in the sate to date as counterpart fund.
Lere said the government gave priority to sanitation and hygiene because “if you have clean water and you do not keep your environment, then the water will not be safe.’’
NAN reports that the SHAWN II project is being funded by United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DfID), and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), with counterpart funding from Kaduna state government.
The project, described as “huge success’’ by its beneficiaries, was designed to improve access to sanitation, hygiene and water supply to all citizens through eradication of open defecation, hand washing promotion, sanitation and provision of water facility. (NAN)