997 communities are open defecation-free in Kaduna – Official

The United Nations Children’s Fund has supported 997 communities to be declared Open Defecation Free (ODF), in 2020, out of the 750 targeted for the year.

John Samari, Director, Water Supply, Kaduna State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA), made this known in Kaduna on Wednesday, at the UNICEF and Kaduna State 2020 End of Year Review and Planning Meeting.

Samari explained that the support, under the Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) project, said that the development led to 343,536 additional people living in ODF certified communities from the 300,000 targeted.

He added that the UNICEF supported Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector, also supported 890,148 men and women, girls, and boys with access to basic sanitation services out of the targeted 400,000.

“Similarly, UNICEF has supported 620, 242 people with access to safe drinking water from the 400,000 targeted for the year.

“Also, we have been able to install 46 WASH facilities from the 40 planned for the year in health centres, separate for girls and boys in line with national standards,” he said.

Meanwhile, UNICEF WASH Specialist, Theresa Pama, commended the state government for being up to date on payment of counterpart funding.

Pama however, said some local governments areas were defaulting on counterpart funding, and urged them to improve to enable the WASH interventions to reach more communities.

Also,  Hamza Ikara, Director Community Health, Kaduna State Primary Health Care Board, said that UNICEF’s supported Communication for Development has reached 1.1 million mothers and caregivers with knowledge of at least five essential family practices.

Ikara said that the achievement was far above the 701,181 mothers and caregivers targeted for the year.

He added that the number of children under five years, who missed polio immunisation within the year under review, had been reduced by 0.52 per cent out of the one per cent also targeted for the year.

“Also, the percentage of children under 59 months missed due to noncompliance and absence in 14 high risk local government areas, has been reduced by 0.94 per cent from the one per cent targeted for the year.

“Similarly, we have been able to develop and implement two evidence-based sectoral strategic communication and social mobilisation plans, more than the one planned for the year,” he said.