By Nkechi Isaac,
One of the leading international nongovernmental organizations in Nigeria, Christian Aid-UK has trained over 720 community influencers across Borno, Kaduna and Benue states on COVID-19 guidelines and sanitation to stem the spread of the disease.
The country director of Christian organisation, Mr Charles Usie, made this known to journalists at its country office in Abuja, saying the influencers trained to train others on the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) guidelines is to promote hygiene which is one of the major guidelines for reducing transmission of the novel Coronavirus disease.
Listing other interventions, Usie said the organisation carried out community sensitisation on sanitation and hygiene practices; completed engagement of traditional and religion leaders for community mentoring and population sensitisation across 54 communities of Benue, Borno and Kaduna states.
The Christian Aid boss said that borehole water points renovation has been completed in the three states with a total of 87 water points renovated and 10 new one drilled.
“Some of the new boreholes would be completed this week in Benue and Borno states. We also have 48 Community Protection and Health Committees (CPHC) that received refresher training on GBV with three reported cases and referrals to state GBV centres recorded since the training,” he said.
He further said water points repair and maintenance for increased hygiene practices and environmental sanitation was also carried out.
He said that fumigation of public places was done working with the state emergency operations center (EOC) locations which included local isolation centres, primary health facilities, traditional palaces, worship centres and market places.
He stated its interventions was to bridge the poverty gap occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic and other pre-existing challenges faced by rural dwellers in the affected states.
“The states were bedevilled by insecurity that has displaced innocent Nigerians who require help and which the NGO was providing as intervention to augment what governments at all Levels were doing for the affected persons,” he added.
Christian Aid-UK is a Non Profit Making Organization that advocates for better Policies and Service Delivery on Universal Health Coverage, Gender Justice and Tax Justice.
Christian Aid is the official relief and development agency of 41 Christian churches in the UK and Ireland, and works to support sustainable development, eradicate poverty, support civil society and provide disaster relief in South America, the Caribbean, and Africa.