Memorandum submitted by the Water and
Environmental Unit, Maigatari Local Government Area, Maigatari,
Jiawa state, Nigeria
Maigatari local government in Jigawa state is
one of WaterAid Nigeria direct partners in water and sanitation
programme in the six state WaterAid works with.
Maigatari local government was created in 1989
during the Military regime along with 26 others for the purpose
of delivering sustainable services in the rural areas. The LGA
is located in the northern part of Jigawa state bordered in the
east partly by Yobe state and Kaugama LGA of Jigawa state, in
the south by Gumel LGA, in the west by Sule Tankarkar LGA, and
in the north by Niger republic.
Maigatari LGA by 1991 census has a population
of about 186,000 people, with only Maigatari and Galadi towns
having fairly dense population. The villages of the LGA are sparsely
located and can only be reached through cruising sandy terrains.
Maigatari LGA experience hot dry weather most part of the year
with only four month of rain fall.
With its location in the Sahel Savannah region
, water is usually extracted from deep wells using donkeys and
camels. Though few bore holes exist in the local government area,
the initiative of providing these BHs was taken by government
without prioritization and community participation resulting in
most of them already broken down for lack of ownership (no maintenance
and management structure in place).
THE LOCAL
GOVERNMENT COUNCIL
The Council with a staff strength of 826 spread
over six department notably: Health, Personnel, Treasury, Works,
Agriculture and Community Development has had five different Honorable
Chairmen since inception.
WATER AND
ENVIRONMENTAL SANITATION
UNITS (WESU)
Until 2004, water supply has been under works
department while sanitation was in the health department. Despite
these efforts, the head quarter, Maigatari town lacked proper
drainage which encourages flooding environment. Worst still the
LGA has no communal latrines therefore open defecation is a common
practice consequently exposing its inhabitants to diarrhea and
other sanitation related diseases. Unfortunately also, the LGA
has inadequate number of skilled sanitary inspectors and hygiene
promoters.
With the formation of the water and environmental
sanitation units (WESU) under the department of Health with nine
staff fully seconded and headed by a Coordinator, awareness on
the importance of proper hygiene practices for the whole community
has been raise and proper excreta disposal system particularly
ventilated improved pit latrines have been promoted for two communities
namely Alhazai and Ladin Kani in the local government area.
The Unit which also is saddled with the responsibility
of ensuring environmental sanitation of the entire local government,
has demonstrated success in promoting sustainable hygiene practice
in the area especially in the two small towns namely Maigatari
and Galadi towns.
I appreciate your anticipated cooperation as
we look forward to a direct working relationship with DFID.
STRATEGIES FOR PROMOTING GENDER EQUITABLE
ACCESS TO WATSAN SERVICES IN JIGAWA STATE
INTRODUCTION
Water is essential for life, health and human
dignity. In extreme situations, there may not be sufficient water
available to meet basic needs, and in these case supplying a survival
level of safe drinking water is of critical importance. In most
cases, the main health problems associated with provision of water
are caused by poor hygiene due to insufficient water supply and
ineffective hygiene promotion strategies coupled with lack of
facility support for safe human/solid waste disposal.
The standard for water supply particularly access
and volume requires that all people (Including the class of those
considered to be vulnerable depending on the ethnic group and
cultural background) should have safe and equitable access to
a sufficient quantity of water for drinking, cooking and personal
and domestic hygiene. And also that public water points are sufficiently
close to households to enable use of the minimum water requirement.
VULNERABILITY AND
ACCESS TO
WATSAN
Vulnerability has often been regarded as an
after thought particularly when related to water and sanitation
access. May be partly because water is seen has a human right
which in most cases access to by the poor has been hidden behind
national averages and/or the challenge of outpacing population
growth has beclouded the definition of access.
The group most often considered to be vulnerable
are the women, children, older people, disabled people and people
living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). Though in certain contexts, people
may also become vulnerable by reason of ethnic origin, religious
or political affiliation, or displacement. A new group of vulnerable
people found during a vulnerability study on access to water and
sanitation by vulnerable people in Nigeria conducted by WaterAid
Nigeria in Jigawa state are the Vesicular Vaginal Fistula (VVF)
patients.
VVF (Vesicular vaginal fistula)
For the purpose of establishing a successful
link with water and sanitation, it is important to have a run
through the implication of child marriage and teenage pregnancy
in Nigeria.
In Nigeria, child marriage and teenage pregnancies
is common practice especially in the northern part. Some reasons
adduced includes notably the desire to avoid dishonor to the family
since it is believed that virginity can only be guaranteed between
the ages of eight and 10 years; economic reasons resulting from
dowry and bride price payment; and the need to reduces the burden
on parents as it is put "one mouth less to feed".
Recall also that child marriages have negative
effects on the psychological, physical and social well being of
the young girl. Where pregnancies occur, the entire make up of
the girl is not developed for such functions as nurturing a developing
fetus in her body and producing a baby without damaging the soft
tissues of the pelvic area. Other complications which may arise
in teenage pregnancies include: exacerbated pregnancy symptoms;
chronic anemia; obstructed labour; vesico and recto vaginal fistuli
causing leakage of urine and feces; higher risk of maternal and
child morbidity and mortality; prolonged reproductive period with
repeated pregnancies leading to childbirth complications; and
broken homes and prostitution consequently.
Implication to water and sanitation services
The girls (VVF patients ) with or without repair
surgery suffer disdain and social persecutions from their fellow
healthy contemporaries first because they stink when they are
not properly washed and secondly from despondent parents. In most
cases when they approach water facilities, the entire community
members (including children who often chant songs of shame) ward
off. In extreme cases, they are denied access to the water point.
Unfortunately though, they need adequate water to wash regularly
in order to reduce the stench of urine and feces on them.
During an interview with the Director of Finance
and Administration of the Jigawa state ministry of women affairs
and social development in a team of other directors of the ministry,
Hajia Habiba Isa Dutse said, though there exists a center for
the VVF patients, but no adequate care has been giving to the
patients to alleviate their suffering and discrimination. The
ministry, according to her, has supported funding free repair
surgery for the patients and also fund the overhead cost of the
center. The centre has a borehole supported by the ministry but
that is considered inadequate to meet the demand of the situation.
The patients are deprived the normal freedom associated with acquiring
basic education. The trauma characterized by the social persecution
and stigmatization is significantly enough to affect class performance.
Therefore, they resort to seclusion and self pity.
POTENTIAL STRATEGY
There is great potential for programme development
involving mainstreaming WASH in programmes for the VVF patients.
A number of options are available including harnessing efforts
and resources where affordable to achieve this noble objective.
Some areas to explore include organisation of workshops. However,
more intensive community outreach activities will be advocated
for. Though, strategies of community outreach could differ from
state to state and community to community. On a general outlook
the following can be considered.
Organisation of training of trainers (TOT) who
will work with the community and mount up various awareness campaign
programmes such as market campaigns, visitation to groups, social
clubs and homes. Publicity also constitutes a very useful component
of community mobilization effort. All available methods of publicity
can be utilized positively to convey the inherent dangers of these
practices. The use of print and electronic media, simple posters
and hand bills depicting the ills of harmful practices to maternal
health could all be annexed to convey messages down to the grass
root level. Identification and the use of community leaders (Bulamas),
opinion leaders, traditional and religious leaders are all crucial
if messages are to be disseminated to the grass root and be accepted
by the people.
Linking this also is the approach which targets
reducing rural and urban disparity by decentralizing responsibility
and ownership and providing a choice of service levels to community
based on their ability and willingness to sustain the level.
CONCLUSION
Addressing access to water and sanitation remains
a mirage without coordination of scale up efforts by agents of
change and relevant stakeholders in the sector. Central to this
also is the commitment of international communities and development
organs notably WHO, UNICEF, DFID, WaterAid etc to achieving the
MDGs of poverty reduction. Indeed, the political will exist at
the micro level, but the politics of poverty and seclusion remains
significantly the only set back for chatting progress in the sector.
With intervention assistance, community management structures
and populace including VVF patients will be strengthened to accommodate
cross cutting and perceived challenges/threat confronting the
sector. Only then will the MDG of eradicating extreme poverty
and hunger, gender equity, and environmental sustainability be
achieved.
KEY RECOMMENDATIONS
FOR CHANGE
IN PROGRAMME
APPROACH FOR
VVF PATIENTS
— Conduct a KAP research on VVF with
the view of identifying workable approach to address the identified
issues.
— Training of trainers on strategies
for effective behavioral change communication.
— Intensive campaign programme on the
effect of the ills of harmful practices to public health.
— Development of behavioral change
materials.
— Liaison services with both electronic
and the print media to develop structured programme focus on good
health practices.
— Formation of a consultative forum
for traditional and religious rulers who are epitome of respect
by the communities.
— Develop a framework on effective
strategy for policy change in favor of VVF patients.
— Support existing VVF centres with
water supply and sanitation facilities.
Kabiru Shuaibu, WES Coordinator
October 2006
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