Bende community moves against open defecation with VIP toilets

In response to the UNICEF- sponsored campaign against open defecation in April this year, Ndibe community in Bende Local Government of Area of Abia State has constructed three Ventilation, Improved, Pit, VIP) toilets

Located at strategic points in the community for easy accessibility by locals the VIP toilets were constructed jointly by the community.

Speaking with newsmen, a village source, Mr. James Nkemakolam said the action was in response to the sensitization on the dangers of open defecation which he blamed for the prevalence of some diseases in the community,

stating that more of such toilets would be constructed in the community by 2018, while adding that even the village women in their meetings now preach against open defecation due to its inherent dangers.

Confirming the development, the UNICEF Desk Officer in the National Orientation Agency Umuahia office, Mr. Goddy Onwuchekwa, said the agency held the campaign against open defecation in all three senatorial zones in the state.

He said that the locals were encouraged to jettison their antiquated practice of open lavatory and embrace VIP toilets which he said “is affordable and much safer”.

The UNICEF Desk Officer who said that some wealthy men in some communities in Aba South had also started building VIP toilets for their poor neighbours expressed delight that the efforts of the agency had started yielding fruit.

He also said NOA in the state had, courtesy of UNICEF, organized a “speaking session” with women groups during which messages on essential family practices such as exclusive breast feeding and hand washing were taken to churches during their women conferences.

“Resultantly, more women in the state now patronize health centres instead of traditional homes for child delivery”, he said, adding that more women have also embraced exclusive breast feeding.

He also said the agency courtesy of UNICEF held quiz competition for mothers in Osisioma LGA where questions on exclusive breast feeding, immunization and essential family practices were thrown at the participants, and prizes given to the winners and runners up.

Onwuchekwa also expressed joy that the town hall meetings on anti – vaccination rumours held by NOA with critical stakeholders in the communities across the state were yielding positive results.

NOA, he said had engaged key stakeholders including traditional rulers, President Generals of Town Unions, and the clergy to dispelled misconception in some quarters that solders were forcefully injecting monkey pox virus on pupils to depopulate states in Southern Nigeria.

According to him participants at such meetings forward the message against the rumour to no fewer than 200 persons in their contact groups via the social media.

He also expressed delight on the positive impact of the Volunteer Community Mobilizers , another UNICEF -sponsored programme of NOA at Ikwuano LGA where he said volunteer youths now move around the communities to mobilise pregnant women to access health centres for their anti- natal and post – natal cares.

By Sunday Nwakanma – Umuahia