Addressing Sanitation Challenges in Africa

Access to improved sanitation and water in Africa is a key challenge contributing to high mortality and morbidity rates among children under five years. Poor sanitary increases the vulnerability to waterborne infections. Additionally, Raimi et al. (2018) estimated that 100 million Nigerians still lack basic sanitation facilities. Actors like OPEC fund can provide household water treatment technologies. In most countries, water treatment systems are insufficient or unavailable. By availing these systems, more people will be provided with safe water hence creating a development-oriented intervention. In Africa and particularly Nigeria, open defecation is a challenge (Abubakar, 2018). Therefore, to promote sanitation, actors like OPEC fund can employ more practitioners in rural sanitation to promote the Sustainable Development Goal for ending open defecation and poverty. By practitioners joining sanitation programs, the process of sanitation will be accelerated. It is also evident that lack of knowledge impact the level of sanitation in Africa. Therefore, OPEC funds can be used to campaign on how to improve hygiene awareness. The awareness is critical to promoting hygienic behavior like hand washing, and available community sanitation resources (Cross & Coombes, 2013). More importantly, actors in the sector can facilitate research and development. This research, including environmental studies dissertation help, would be critical to help identify, create, and implement technological solutions. By collaborating with a research organization, the OPEC fund can invest in developing technologies that support cost-effective sanitation services maintenance and delivery. Lastly, poverty influence the level of sanitation in a region. Therefore, OPEC funds can do a great job of financing people. Through financing, the actions and objectives of sanitation in Africa can be achieved.

Having a chance to work with OPEC funds, I would start a community campaign to enlighten people on the advantages of sanitation. This program would make people understand sanitation and its significance. Besides, I would implement a plan to support household water storage and treatment initiatives to enhance drinking-water quality and reduce waterborne disease transmission. This project would involve reaching the community and education them on how to treat their water at home, especially drinking water. Also, in Africa and specifically Nigeria, most people use rainwater. Therefore, at my level, I would educate people on how to harvest rainwater safely, and how to promote sanitation while harvesting rainwater in schools, the communities, and healthcare facilities. Also, being an employee of the OPEC fund, I would utilize my skills to monitor activities and the progress of sanitation projects in the community.

References

Abubakar, I.R., 2018. Exploring the determinants of open defecation in Nigeria using demographic and health survey data. Science of the total environment, 637, pp.1455-1465.

Cross, P. and Coombes, Y., 2013. Sanitation and Hygiene in Africa: Where do we Stand? (p. 256). IWA Publishing.

Raimi, M., Vivien, O.T., Odipe, O.E. and Owobi, O.E., 2018. The sources of water supply, sanitation facilities and hygiene practices in oil producing communities in central senatorial district of Bayelsa state, Nigeria. MOJ Public Health, 7(6), pp.337-345.