WaterAid Nigeria has handed over newly constructed Solar powered motorized borehole and other WASH facilities in Children Center, Idi-Araba, Mushin Local Government Area of Lagos and
Orile Agege Community Junior High School to ensure everyone have access to safe water, Sanitation and Hygiene facilities for improved health services delivery.
The projects by WaterAid Nigeria, in partnership with the Lagos state government is implementing the Cummins funded Improving Access to Water, Hygiene and Sanitation Project to support improved access to quality WASH services in Lagos State.
The project seeks to provide sustainable and affordable WASH facilities in 7 schools and 1 community across Ikorodu North, Onigbongbo, Orile-Agege LCDAs and Mushin LGA of Lagos state
At the handover of the newly constructed seventeen thousand liters of Solar powered motorized borehole and hand washing station, toilets and other WASH facilities, Country Director WaterAid Nigeria, Ms Evelyn Mere represented by Mr Emmanuel Iorkumbor, Head of Strategy Performance Effectiveness and Learning, said the facilities are to provide a conducive environment for effective teaching and learning that would promote good education outcomes.
“This intervention not only contributes to the achievement of the goals of the Cummins Waterworks but also fulfils the rights of the pupils to education and secures a future for them” he said.
“We call on the school authority, Idi Araba community and Mushin LGA to ensure that this facility is sustained by deploying the necessary human and financial resources for their operations and maintenance so they can serve the purpose it is meant for”
Speaking on behalf of the Lagos state government, Dr Dasalu who represented the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary education, Mr Jamiu Alli-Balogun, thanked WaterAid Nigeria and Cummins for the millions of naira project and assured that machineries have been put in place to ensure maintenance of the WASH facilities for generations to come.
Appreciating the gesture on behalf of beneficiaries, Principal, Children Center, Mrs Oladejo Omiseye, noted that the WASH facilities would ensure the highest level of personal development for the children noting that water is life.
She assured that the facilities would ensure implementation of the Hygiene behaviour change campaigns, aimed at promoting better hygiene practices among community members and students.
Meanwhile, students of Orile Agege Community Junior School, Orile-Agege, expressed delight that they can now use the school toilets because they are clean with running waters noting that it would also encourage girls to come to school during their monthly period, which will definitely reduce out of school children.
Highpoints of the handover ceremony was the signing of Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, between WaterAid Nigeria and the school management to ensure sustainability of the facilities while maintenance tools were also presented to each school by WaterAid Nigeria to make repair work on the facilities easier when the need arise.
Other Dignitaries on the occasion are relevant stakeholders including Community leaders, representative from Cummins, the Lagos Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, Ministry of Youths and Social Development, Chairman Person with Disabilities in Lagos and Community leaders in Mushin LGA and Orile Agege LCDA
Written by Yemisi Dada