Yemisi Dada
Until Nigerians embrace personal behavioral changes in their homes, safe, cleaner and healthier environment may be difficult to achieve.
This was the consensus of stakeholders at a three-day workshop on Hygiene Behavior Change, HBC, organised by a global NGO, WaterAid Nigeria held at Ikeja.
The Country Director of WaterAid Nigeria, Ms Evelyn Mere, said the workshop was to train relevant partners on the HBC approach and strengthen their confidence to effectively deliver specific contexts designed to promote hygiene campaigns for Community and School settings.
The Country Director who was represented by Mrs Grace Uwadiale, stated that the overall objective of the HBC campaign is to help people break free from diseases, and poverty, and unlock their potential and lives through improved access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, WASH.
“This design will ultimately reach every one of us as the training will be participatory and interactive to achieve our one goal which is prioritizing hygiene practices individually, within our families, within our communities and schools as well as in the workplaces.
One of the Project facilitators, a Sanitation and Hygiene Manager, Mr Dare Oduluyi, explained that the HBC project funded by Cummins, is expected to reach over one hundred and seventy-six thousand residents in Ikorodu North, Onigbongbo, Orile Agege and Mushin LCDAs in Lagos to sustain WASH services and improve hygiene in their communities.
Mr Oduluyi expressed optimism that the trainees will become local facilitators to propagate hygiene behaviour change campaign at the grassroots.
“And at the same time transforming lives by reaching the poorest of the poor with Water Sanitation and Hygiene. And also as part of our global PPP strategy to demonstrate models that work that government can adopt to ensure that there is universal access to hygiene for everyone in Lagos State.”
In a goodwill message, Cummins Team lead, Mrs Ngozi Ofino, urged participants to gather knowledge from the training to equip themselves as a facilitator who will step down the knowledge by training those in their communities on Hygiene Behavior Change to imbibing the culture of personal hygiene, menstrual hygiene and safe water process to eliminate bad hygiene behaviours and break the chains of spreading communicable diseases and ultimately extend the life span of every individual.
The HBC workshop which will end on Thursday, August 22, is attended by representatives from the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, School Districts, CDAs, CSOs, Volunteers and the Media.
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