BY OUR REPORTER
Following its resolve to promote hygiene practices across Niger state, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has entered into partnership with the Niger Foods to put an end to open defecation.
The UNICEF through its Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) programme will collaborate with other development organizations and the private sector to expand access to safe water and improving community health outcomes.
The partnership which was birthed when the UNICEF WASH Specialist, Mrs. Theresa Pamma visited the Niger Foods Security Systems and Logistics Company Limited in Minna will address the issue of open defecation particularly in communities where Niger Foods operates its farms.
While explaining that the partnership seeks to raise awareness about the dangers of open defecation and its impact on public health, especially the spread of waterborne diseases such as cholera.
Pamma then stressed the need for proper sanitation and hygiene practices, urging community members to use toilets, wash their hands regularly with soap, and protect water sources from contamination.
According to her, “access to clean and safe drinking water is a fundamental human right essential for the health and well-being of children and families.
She also called on community leaders, youth, and women groups to take active roles in driving behavioural change toward achieving a cleaner and healthier environment, noting that the initiative complements Niger Foods’ ongoing partnership with other stakeholders in disease free rural households.
Responding, the Executive Director of Niger Foods, Mrs. Patience Koku, reaffirmed the company’s dedication to building resilient and self reliant communities with access to clean water and improved sanitation.
She then expressed the company’s readiness to collaborate with both public and private organizations in promoting agricultural growth, food security, and overall community development across Niger State and beyond.