The European Union (EU) and UNICEF Representatives in Nigeria have commended Anambra East Council Authorities of Anambra State for partnering with the agencies to achieve great success in water supply and sanitation, which has improved health conditions in various communities.
The council organized a one-day stakeholders sensitization meeting on implementation of Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Reform Programme II (WSSSRPII) at the council headquarters.
The event was attended by traditional rulers, church representatives, council officials and people from various communities in the area among others.
Speaking at the event, the UNICEF Coordinator, Mr. Clement Chigbo assured that the agency was committed to improving lives through capacity building and funding projects, especially in water sanitation among other assistance, adding that UNICEF was highly committed to the development of women and children in the area.
While emphasizing that International Organizations are working to improve lives, especially in the rural communities, Chigbo argued that without good water supply and proper sanitation habit, people would find it very difficult to maintain good health.
In his speech, the consultant for Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) for Anambra East, Amina J. Ominyi hinted that the good performance in project execution and prompt payment of counterpart funding by Governor Peter Obi encouraged EU and UNICEF offices to select Anambra State for the programme, in which the council is currently benefiting.
She disclosed that Anambra was selected for phase I, in addition to Jigawa, Kano, Yobe, Osun and Cross River States for the pilot project in 2006..
Ominyi said, “Because of Anambra State performance in the first phase, and with prompt payment of counterpart funding, by 2012 using selection criteria by EU, UNICEF, Anambra was again selected for projects to cover Anambra East and Aguata”.
She highlighted some of the agency’s achievements in the council to include establishment of functional WASH units, local government steering committees/WASH technical committee; constituted volunteer hygiene promoters trained to assist homes, drilling of boreholes, WASH intervention in 7 Primary and two Secondary Schools, 43 Open Defication Free (OPE) system, two motor bikes for WASH sanitation, provision of several computers and printers for office use among others.
She regretted that their activities were being hampered by some challenges including, lack of logistics support for monitoring, no budget for WASH, and inadequate accommodation, adding that the worst problem was convincing communities to key into and pay their counterpart fund.
Earlier, the coordinator, WASH, Kelvin Anazodo explained that the objectives of the meeting include to intimate community members on their activities, especially community total sanitation exercise, assuring the donor agencies that Anambra will leave up to expectations.
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