SEO Riders:
– WASH initiative sees pit-latrine safety surge from 10% to 95% usage.
– Hand pump rehabilitation cuts diarrhoea cases from 227 to just 22 in under a year.
– Community-driven hygiene educators propel sustained behaviour change.
A sanitation intervention led by Alliance for Child Care, Health and Women Initiative (ACCAWEI)** under the Development Exchange Centre – Small Scale Project Fund (DEC‑SSPF) has targeted **118 households across Galambi and Birshi communities in Bauchi Local Government Area**, achieving dramatic improvements in hygiene behaviors. Within six months, households covered their pit latrines—from just 7 out of 70 initially, rising to 67 adopting the secure practice. Similarly, safe water handling soared from 77 to 115 households using hygienic methods—reducing diarrhoea cases in Birshi from 227 to 22.
The project also rehabilitated hand pumps to boost clean‑water access, supported by 24 village hygiene promoters (VHPs) conducting house‑to‑house sensitisation. Other stakeholders—including the Bauchi Local Government WASH Unit and Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA)**—played vital support roles in implementation. Community leaders praised the initiative and advocated for scaling it to other areas, stressing that hygiene education is key to sustaining health gains.
