WaterAid has partnered with the Lagos State Government to inaugurate a newly installed 6,000-liter solar-powered borehole, rehabilitate seven compartments of toilets and set up group of handwashing stations at community and LGA primary schools in Ijegun.
Speaking at the occasion, the Country Director of WaterAid Nigeria, Evelyn Mere said the inauguration was part of activities to mark World Toilet Day. 2023.
Represented by Head of Strategy Programme Effectiveness and Learning WaterAid, Ukeme Essien, Mere said the project would serve about 2,000 schoolchildren including staff in Community and LGA II Primary Schools, Ijegun, Igando-Ikotun Local Council Development Areas in Lagos State.
Mere said the new water facility and toilets were part of interventions under the first year of the ‘Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Improvement Project’ funded by the PepsiCo Foundation in Lagos State.
She said the project would impact at least 173,000 people with clean water, safely managed sanitation, and hygiene promotion.
“The provision of these life-transforming services will improve learning and school attendance as children, especially girls, can stay in school because they have access to clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene.
“As part of the objective of the project to strengthen systems and institutions, WaterAid built the capacity of community members by training over 20 female local area mechanics and establishing a Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Committee (WASHCOM) to maintain and operate new water facilities.
“An estimated 68 million Nigerians are without access to basic drinking water; 171 million lack handwashing facilities with soap; 113 million do not have adequate toilets; and 48 million practice open defecation.
“In Lagos State, only 36 percent of schools have access to basic water, sanitation and hygiene services in 2021,” Mere said.
According to her, access to clean water and decent toilets in school promotes hygiene and contributes to better health among students and staff.
“More importantly, children deserve a healthy learning environment with easy access to safe and sustainable water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services.
“Lack of access to adequate WASH facilities can reduce attendance rates and educational achievement in schools.
“There could be no better time to inaugurate these facilities than on the World Toilet Day celebration, where WaterAid and our partners, the PepsiCo Foundation are accelerating and modelling change for children to feel safe in school and lead healthy lives especially in an environment where they are nurtured.
“While we commend the government’s efforts in WASH service delivery and systems strengthening, we call for increased investments in clean water, decent toilets, and good hygiene so that children do not miss out on education,” Mere said.
Also, the President of the PepsiCo Foundation and Global Head of Social Impact for PepsiCo, C.D. Glin, said they were proud of its long-standing partnership with WaterAid.
“We’re incredibly proud of our long-standing partnership with WaterAid and the transformative work taking place in Lagos State to give access to the basic human right of clean, safe water.
“This work builds on over 15 years of PepsiCo and the PepsiCo Foundation and aims to reach more than 80 million people—including 12 million in 2022 alone—with access to safe water through distribution, purification and conservation programmes.
These efforts put us more than halfway to our PEP+ goal of reaching 100 million people with safe water access by 2030.”
In his goodwill message, the Chairman of Ikotun Igando LCDA, Mr. Lasis Akinsanya, expressed gratitude to the PepsiCo Foundation and WaterAid for citing the project in the LCDA.
Akinsanya said he had no doubt that the project would positively impact the pupils and staff of the schools where it is located.
He pledged the commitment of the LCDA to take ownership of the project.
Akinsanya added that the LCDA had employed a security man to secure the facility from vandals.
He appealed to WaterAid and the PepsiCo Foundation to build more projects in the LCDA.
The highlight of the event was the unveiling of the project by the Chairman of the LCDA, Akinsanya.
