Nigeria: Women Lead Campaign Against Open Defecation in Abuja

In Nigeria's capital city of Abuja, women leaders from 16 communities within Kundu Ward of Kwali Area Council have launched a community-driven campaign to end open defecation and improve hygiene practices. The initiative, spearheaded by the Resource Conservation and Development Initiative International (RCDI), seeks to utilize the influence of women at the grassroots level to promote sanitation awareness and encourage toilet use.

The program, part of RCDI's ThriveFlow initiative on women's health and community resilience, is supported by ActionAid Nigeria and the FCT Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA). RCDI Programme Officer, Mary-Jane Adaku Ukaegbu, emphasized the critical role women play in household hygiene, childcare, water management, and community mobilisation, making them ideal advocates for behavioural change and improved sanitation practices.

Eighty women from the participating communities will be trained as sanitation champions, conducting house-to-house sensitisation campaigns and monitoring progress toward Open Defecation Free (ODF) status. The initiative also includes menstrual hygiene education and the distribution of reusable sanitary pad kits. Kwali Area Council's WASH Coordinator, Mrs. Aminat Dada, expressed appreciation for the support from RCDI, ActionAid Nigeria, and RUWASSA, noting that the women-led intervention would complement existing government efforts.

One participant, Ruth Abu, lauded the training for providing practical knowledge on hygiene and pledged to promote healthier sanitation practices in her community. Stakeholders are optimistic that the women-led approach will enhance community ownership of sanitation programmes, improve public health outcomes, and contribute significantly to achieving ODF status across Kundu Ward and surrounding areas.