AN international charity that transforms lives by improving access to safe water, hygiene and sanitation has announced the launch of a hygiene themed proposal writing competition for selected schools in the nation’s Federal Capital Territory.

The competition being organized by WaterAid Nigeria aims to support children develop skills necessary to allow them become change agents. Under the competition students would write about the state of hygiene or sanitation in their schools and/or surrounding communities and what they think is a simple and cost-effective way to address the issue. The best proposals will be funded to implement the recommended hygiene projects in their schools and/or surrounding communities.

The organisation also joined the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, EU, UNICEF, the National Task Group on Sanitation (NTGS), the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) and other stakeholders to commemorate Global Handwashing Day with students at the Community Secondary School in Asokoro, Abuja.

Global Handwashing Day is an important opportunity to emphasize handwashing as an effective way to prevent disease and reduce child mortality and morbidity with its subsequent impact on overall health and school attendance.

Speaking at the symbolic handwashing event, WaterAid Nigeria’s Head of Governance, Ms Tolani Busari encouraged students to make regular handwashing with soap a habit at home and at school and become hygiene champions in their schools and communities. Ms Busari further spoke about the importance of handwashing with soap and its benefits for helping prevent diseases and saving lives.

The theme for this year’s Global Handwashing Day, ‘Raise a hand for hygiene’, encourages the creation of a strong social norm of good hygiene in schools and communities by asking children/students, people and organisations to stand up, be identified and be counted as hygiene champions. WaterAid Nigeria Country Representative, Dr. Michael Ojo, said: “Every day across the world, 1,400 children under five die from diarrhoea caused by dirty water and poor sanitation and hygiene. That’s one child every minute. Nigeria has recorded practically no progress in the area of sanitation and hygiene in the past 25 years and only 9 per cent of the population have gained access to improved sanitation in that time. Only an estimated 12 per cent of the population have a handwashing facility with soap and water at home.