Nigeria

Context

Borno, Nigeria, remains the epicentre of protracted humanitarian crisis, with more than 1.4 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), and many conflict incidents reported monthly. Health systems are overwhelmed, and health staff is inadequately trained.

WASH needs are negatively impacting malnutrition and contributing to the spread of water-borne diseases and pneumonia – a significant threat, particularly when coupled with COVID-19.

Our project focuses on schools in two Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Borno State.

Project flyer

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Project profile

FocusSchools
Location(s)2 Local Government Areas in Borno State: Maiduguri and Jere
Roles of consortium partner(s) involved– Tdh (lead): coordination, implementation strategy and adoption at scale
– Swiss TPH: impact evaluation
– RANAS: behaviour change strategy
– EPFL and Martin Systems: technical innovations
University of Maiduguri: field technical evaluation support
FHNW: support to stregthening of local management and monitoring capacities
Local and strategic stakeholders– Schools
– Ministry of Education
– Ministry of Health
– NIHSA (Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency)
– SUBEB (Borno State Universal Basic Education Board)
– WASH Cluster
Project overviewIn Nigeria, the hands4health project is implemented in schools in the area of Maiduguri, capital city of Borno State (north-eastern Nigeria). To achieve the project’s primary goal – developing and implementing a holistic approach to hand hygiene, water quality and sanitation, we will start by assessing the WASH needs and users’ practices and preferences regarding hand hygiene in schools of the target area. Based on these data and on the results of a first pilot phase, during which different solutions will be tested, the systemic approach will be finalised, comprising both hardware (handwashing stations) and software components (RANAS behaviour change methodology). It will then be implemented in 26 schools during the second phase of the project. The results of the intervention will be monitored throughout to evaluate the impact of the approach in terms of health and hygiene practices.
Main activities– Gender-sensitive mapping of the WASH needs of different user groups in schools
– Assessment of the local market in terms of availability of suitable materials and skills
– Field evaluation of different design options
– Development of a catalogue of design options suitable for different user groups and production methods
– Collection of baseline data on factors influencing users’ behaviour, acceptance and preferences of technologies/concepts
– Installation of Gravit’eau handwashing stations in 26 schools, including training on how to build, operate, maintain and monitor the systems at the local level
– Implementation of the behaviour change techniques developed from the analysis of the baseline data and evaluation of their effect
– Strengthening of local management and monitoring capacities, including preventive maintenance and digital data collection
– Submission of the research protocol for the study on the health impact of the intervention to the local Ethics Committee
– Training of local collaborators on the data collection process and baseline and follow-up surveys (before and after implementation, respectively) in 26 schools
– Development of the Ranas4Schools toolkit with data and evidence-based behavior change activities for handwashing with soap tailored to schools
– Theory of change workshops with local stakeholders and dissemination of results supporting internal take-up by other country offices
Expected results / products– Local production of context-specific, user-centered designs of handwashing stations
– Enhanced hand hygiene practices amongst direct users (school staff, children) and the community in general
– Local collaborators certified as RANAS experts
– Evidence on the health impact of the implemented approach for users
– Improved understanding of the WASH ecosystem in schools in Nigeria

News on h4h activities in Nigeria