Michael Olugbode in Abuja
Women leaders from 16 communities in Kundu Ward of Kwali Area Council, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), have launched a community-driven campaign aimed at ending open defecation and improving hygiene practices across the ward.
The initiative, being implemented by the Resource Conservation and Development Initiative International (RCDI), seeks to harness the influence of women at the grassroots level to promote sanitation awareness, encourage toilet use and strengthen healthy behavioural practices within households and communities.
The intervention is being carried out under RCDI’s ThriveFlow programme on women’s health, dignity and community resilience, with support from ActionAid Nigeria through the Renewed Women’s Voice and Leadership–Nigeria Project funded by Global Affairs Canada. The programme is being implemented in partnership with the FCT Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA).
Speaking during the training of women sanitation champions in Kwali, RCDI Programme Officer, Mary-Jane Adaku Ukaegbu, said the project was designed to place women at the forefront of efforts to achieve Open Defecation Free (ODF) status in Kundu Ward.
She said women play critical roles in household hygiene, childcare, water management and community mobilisation, making them effective advocates for behavioural change and improved sanitation practices.
According to Ukaegbu, 80 women drawn from the 16 participating communities will be trained and deployed to conduct house-to-house sensitisation campaigns, educate families on proper sanitation and monitor progress toward ODF attainment.
She explained that the women would serve as sanitation champions, encouraging residents to consistently use toilets, wash their hands at critical times, maintain clean surroundings and eliminate open defecation.
The programme also incorporates menstrual hygiene education and support for women and adolescent girls. As part of the intervention, reusable sanitary pad kits will be distributed to selected beneficiaries to improve menstrual hygiene management and promote dignity among women and girls.
The WASH Coordinator of Kwali Area Council, Mrs. Aminat Dada, commended RCDI, ActionAid Nigeria and FCT RUWASSA for supporting efforts to improve sanitation standards in the area council.
She noted that Kwali Area Council had continued to implement sensitisation programmes to encourage toilet construction and usage, adding that the women-led intervention would complement existing government efforts and accelerate progress towards ODF status.
Dada described the initiative as timely and urged traditional rulers, community leaders and residents to support the women champions in their mobilisation activities to ensure lasting behavioural change.
One of the participants, Mrs. Ruth Abu, Women Leader of Sadaba Community, said the training had equipped participants with practical knowledge on hygiene, environmental sanitation and disease prevention.
She pledged to take the lessons learnt back to her community and mobilise households to adopt healthier sanitation practices.
Stakeholders expressed confidence that the women-led approach would strengthen community ownership of sanitation programmes, improve public health outcomes and contribute significantly to the attainment of Open Defecation Free status across Kundu Ward and neighbouring communities.