HORIZON INTERNATIONAL SOLUTIONS SITE

During World Water Week (25-30 August 2019) in Stockholm, The World Health Organization (WHO) and UN-Water called for an urgent increase in investment in strong drinking-water and sanitation systems.  They cited a report by WHO published on behalf of UN-Water that “reveals that weak government systems and a lack of human resources and funds are jeopardizing the delivery of water and sanitation services in the world’s poorest countries – and undermining efforts to ensure health for all.” The report,” Weak systems and funding gaps jeopardize drinking-water and sanitation in the world’s poorest countries,” UN-Water Global Assessment and Analysis of Sanitation and Drinking-Water 2019 (known as the GLAAS report), surveyed 115 countries and territories, representing 4.5 billion people. It showed that, in an overwhelming majority of countries, the implementation of water, sanitation and hygiene policies and plans is constrained by inadequate human and financial resources.

“My health is in my hands”!  School kids affirmed their resolve. The Beautiful Feet International (BFI) WinS project is making them catch on how to take responsibility for their own health and wellness in school and at home as a good way to securing their future despite the prevailing poor environmental learning conditions they are daily being subjected to due to annual flooding, environmental degradation and government neglect which has made WASH emergency higher in the area. All the schools in the WinS project are in Evbuotubu, a flood prone community in Egor Local Government Area of Edo State, Nigeria.

This is the third article of a series on “Realizing Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for All.” It features the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council's (WSSCC) progress in meeting sanitation and hygiene needs with the help of the communities themselves and assistance from the WSSCC managed Global Sanitation Fund.

Need for Interventions in School W.A.S.H Education andAwareness Creation:        

Flooding apart, environmental awareness, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) education and culture this reporter observed at Evbuotubu Primary School is grossly low, a microcosm of the Nigerian rural and sub-urban situation.