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UNICEF, Yakurr celebrate ODF status revalidation

By Stanley Akpunonu
28 July 2016   |   1:39 am
Amidst challenges of post Open Defecation Free (ODF) relapse, the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) recently supported conduct of a fresh round of validation of Yakurr Local Government Area (LGA) wide status by an Independent Third Party ODF...
A Community Lead Total Sanitation (CLTS) household pit latrine with ventilated drop hole cover and Tippy Tap hand washing in Aferekpe Ekori in Yakurr Local Government Area (LGA) of Cross River State... INSET is Tippy Tap group hand washing demonstration by pupils of St. Mary’s Primary School Ugep in Yakurr LGA of Cross River State	                       		          PHOTO CREDIT: COLLINS NJOKU for UNICEF

A Community Lead Total Sanitation (CLTS) household pit latrine with ventilated drop hole cover and Tippy Tap hand washing in Aferekpe Ekori in Yakurr Local Government Area (LGA) of Cross River State… INSET is Tippy Tap group hand washing demonstration by pupils of St. Mary’s Primary School Ugep in Yakurr LGA of Cross River State PHOTO CREDIT: COLLINS NJOKU for UNICEF<br />

Amidst challenges of post Open Defecation Free (ODF) relapse, the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) recently supported conduct of a fresh round of validation of Yakurr Local Government Area (LGA) wide status by an Independent Third Party ODF Validation Team drawn from Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Ambassador’s Office under the aegis of National Task Group on Sanitation (NTGS) Abuja from July 11 to 14, 2016.

Yakurr LGA of Cross River State in collaboration with other State and LGA level stakeholders under the European Union/UNICEF supported Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Reform Programme (WSSSRP) has assiduously worked to end Open Defecation (OD) and attained ODF status since 2013, after local verification, state certification and national validation confirmatory exercises were conducted.

UNICEF, in a statement, said this is in pursuant to the United Nations (UN), Nigeria and States’ Road map to End Open Defecation by 2025 coupled with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 which is ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all by 2030.

According to the statement signed by UNICEF’s WASH Coordinator for Yakurr LGA, Mr. Collins Njoku, the validation team were supported by Cross River State Rural Water Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA) and State Task Group on Sanitation (STGS) and Yakurr LGA WASH Department and Local Task Group on Sanitation (LTGS) personnel to conduct a four-day spot check and validation of 24 randomly selected communities in Yakurr LGA.

“This is ten percent of the 239 communities that constitute the entire Yakurr LGA in keeping with the 2016 Revised Guidelines and Protocol for Verification and Certification of Open Defecation Free and Total Sanitation Communities in Nigeria.”

The methodology adopted by the Validation Team to carry out the revalidation exercise include: courtesy and briefing visits, planning meeting, focus group discussion, inspection of environmental sanitation for presence or absence of shit, inspection of household and institutional latrines, meetings with clan and village heads and chiefs, interaction with WASH Committee (WASHCOM) members, filling of questionnaires through questions and answers session and debriefing.

Activities at the communities also included: meeting and briefing village heads or their representatives and WASHCOM teams; focus group discussion with WASHCOM members and community leaders; inspection and review of available WASHCOM documents; inspection of household latrines; inspection of old OD sites, community schools, primary health centres and the surroundings of the communities using transect walk.

Other activities included interview sessions with household members and children; encouragement of good practices and innovations; completion and signing of validation checklist and taking of pictures and videos for evidence-based documentation and reporting.

The debriefing session in the Yakurr LGA WASH Department reveals the following among other major findings, outcomes and results: Yakurr LGA ODF status is sustained; and effective hand washing with water and soap/ash and safe excreta or shit disposal has become normative.

According to UNICEF, the work plan for the Independent Third Party ODF Validation showed that apart from Yakurr LGA in Cross River State, other LGAs from Jigawa, Adamawa and Anambra States are having their communities ODF status validated also in July 2016. But, Yakurr LGA is the only LGA that has the singular privilege and honor of having an LGA wide ODF status and validation. The statement noted: “Indeed, the race for the first LGA wide ODF status in Nigeria is on! Admittedly, all indicators point to the direction of Yakurr LGA if only the State and LGA would proactively prioritize and commit to urgently fill the gaps in the provision of public and institutional latrines.

“However, who wins is as important as having all the LGAs and more LGAs and States validated ODF so that Nigeria attains country wide ODF status on or before the global timeline of 2025 and the health and wellbeing of the people, especially that of children and women is enhanced and there is value for money including donors, notably European Union, UNICEF and British Department for International Development (DFID). Welcome to 2016 Yakurr LGA ODF Celebration!.”

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