WHAT YOU CAN DO BASIC MESSAGES - Development

BASIC MESSAGES
Over 70 million Nigerians are without access to proper toilet
facilities so they defecate openly or in polythene bags which
are thrown carelessly in the environment. In some parts of
Nigeria less than 1 out of every 10 persons have access to pit
latrines.
Poor hygiene practices and non-use of latrines to dispose of
excreta can cause diarrhoea, cholera and other excreta related
diseases
An estimated 150,000 deaths mainly amongst under-five
children translates to 410/day i.e. 17 children die every hour
from diarrhoea. Diarrhoea is the 2 nd highest killer of children, it
also contributes to malnutrition in children.
On the average, there is only one toilet for 500 school children
in Nigeria. In some states the ratio is over 1000 pupils per toilet.
Many parents do not enroll or keep their girls in schools
because there are no toilet facilities for girls to use.
Poor sanitation and hygiene practices results in absence from
school due to illness and that often contributes to lower
education achievement.
If all Nigerians have access to clean water and safe sanitation
facilities, the country will gain additional income from 10 million
productive workdays.
Stop open defaecation, build and use safe latrines to prevent
the spread of excreta-related diseases
Your hands can carry germs, wash them regularly with
water and soap or ashes;
• After visiting the latrine and after changing baby’s
nappies
• Before handling food
• After blowing or cleaning nose
Dirt breeds diseases, use latrines and wash hands
regularly with water and soap or ashes
You can build a safe latrine at low cost, by using locally
available materials
Always keep your environment clean to prevent diseases
like diarrhoea, typhoid, malaria and dysentery.
Do not drop things into gutters, always keep them clean to
prevent flood and diseases like malaria
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Too many people die everyday in Nigeria from sicknesses
caused by poor hygiene and sanitation practices. Every
dead person is a blow to Nigeria’s development. Each of
us can do something to change this situation.
If you are a/an:
Individual: Promote proper hygiene and sanitation at home, at
school, at work and in your community.
Teacher: Teach pupils about the benefits of proper hygiene and
sanitation practices. Monitor closely and reward best practices in
the school.

Religious Leader: Make announcements in your church or
mosque on the objectives of the International Year of Sanitation
(IYS) campaign and promote proper hygiene and sanitation
practices. Preach about the moral responsibility of society to a
safe environment that will reduce the potential for spread of
disease, loss of life and income.
Traditional and Community Leader: Mobilize your people to
build latrines and to adopt proper hygiene and sanitation
practices for the benefit of the community. Monitor closely and
publicly recognize best practices in your community.
SANITATION AND HYGIENE
Journalist: Join the movement to educate the general public on
poor hygiene and sanitation practices and its cost to the nation.
Cover campaign events, publicize best practices by communities
and conduct interactive media sessions on how to accelerate
efforts towards universal access to sanitation in Nigeria.
Health Educator/ Artisan /Community Resource Person:
Provide regular health education in clinics, health centers,
markets, village squares and during community events to ensure
a safe environment at home, at work and in the community.
Private Sector Institution: Adopt a community and provide
technical and financial support for building of
communal/household latrines and community mobilization
activities.
Civil Society Organizations/ Non Governmental
Organizations: Build capacity of communities to provide
adequate household latrines and ensure hygiene practices.
Sensitize, create awareness and mobilize communities to
secure the needed facilities and increase hygiene and sanitation
coverage.
unicef