In the world today 2.1 billion people lack access to clean and safe water and in Nigeria over 180 million people lack drinking water as only 0.5% of the world’s freshwater is suitable for human use.

The quality of water available to people in various communities determines their state of health and well-being because water is an essential feature of our everyday lives.

Women and children are the major victims of the various risk factors of unsafe water and sanitation hygiene. Children are very vulnerable because they are still growing.

Aisha lives with her parents in a rural community in Kano state in Nigeria, she is 15 years old, and she is in primary five. Her community’s main source of water is a little stream where everyone in the community gets water from. They use that water to cook to wash to have their bath and to do virtually anything. The distance from her house to the stream is a very long distance and every morning before she goes to school she has to fetch water for her family and also to have her bath for school.

The water could be contaminated, but they have no alternative, so they risk their lives and use it anyway. Water is an everyday necessity and without water, humans cannot function as they ought to. Having clean and drinkable water prevents numerous water-related diseases from evading the lives of people. Aisha and her community can be saved from life-threatening water diseases with access to clean and drinkable water.

As part of HACEY’s dedication to improving the lives of women and girls in Africa, her clean water project has reached out to several women and girls in Nigeria by providing them with clean and safe drinking water and also training them on proper sanitation and hygiene ethics.

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In 1990, Nigeria had a population of about 95 million. In 2019, it has doubled to almost 200 million, with a projection of 402 million in 2050. The continuous rise in population, although beneficial to the economy, is gradually becoming a topic of concern at local and international levels. Like every other country, Nigeria is bedeviled with a number of population issues. Issues such as low life expectancy, the emergence of epidemics and pandemics, depleting natural resources, climate change, global warming, increased crime rate, etc. These issues have been associated with Nigeria’s increasing population.

Over the years, Nigeria has contributed towards ensuring a stable but yet productive population.

However, despite these efforts, the country’s population continues to increase daily. Positive News suggested the following ways to tackle overpopulation and these include: investing in women empowerment; promoting family planning; investing in education; government incentives among others. 

In a bid to contribute to the development of Nigeria, HACEY Health Initiative, concerned with creating a healthy and sustainable society- continues to advocate for improved reproductive health and rights for all persons.

To maintain a stable and productive population, we suggest that sexual and reproductive policies, encouraging awareness and education especially amongst vulnerable and underserved population should be developed and implemented in all states across the country. Family planning education and services should be made available especially to young individuals and couples to help avoid unwanted pregnancies and proper child spacing. Economic empowerment should be made available, especially to women and youth to improve the state of the economy. By ensuring that the aforementioned population is effectively engaged, sexual reproductive health behaviors may improve and social vices in the society will significantly reduce.

Indeed, achieving targets towards a stable and controlled population will require the efforts of various stakeholders. Ensuring implementation of policies (especially sexual and reproductive health-related policies) should be championed by the government, supported by NGOs, CSOs, and other relevant agencies. Citizens are advised to uptake services and share information as recommended by health facilities.

Together, we can improve the productivity of the economy while ensuring a stable population.

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Menstrual hygiene is an under-discussed topic, especially at the household and community level. In Nigeria, some cultural and religious norms are associated with menstruation, some of which include not allowing menstruating women and girls to partake in certain activities and not permitting them to prepare some kinds of foods.

These norms often encourage the stigmatization of these women and girls directly and indirectly. When girls are on their period, it often hampers their productivity, as some experience pain while some cannot properly manage their menstrual hygiene due to lack of resources.

According to UNICEF and WHO, only 29% of the Nigerian population has access to basic sanitation services. Information on menstrual hygiene management in Nigeria is limited. Menstrual hygiene is a big issue and should be addressed accordingly. Below are highlights of certain problems and recommendations:

Firstly, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) has been identified as a major issue in Nigeria. UNICEF reports that about 26.5% (approximately 50.3 million) of the population use improved drinking water sources and sanitation facilities in Nigeria.

A critical tool to promoting menstrual hygiene is by ensuring the availability of clean water at strategic places such as schools, market places and other public domains across urban and rural areas.

Secondly, the cost of purchasing a pack of sanitary pads in Nigeria is relatively high for low-income earners and young dependent women. Due to this reason, some girls prefer to use leaves or rags to manage their period flow.

This, in turn, affects the productivity of these women. Some girls are unable to go to school while some women are unable to carry out their businesses effectively during their menstrual periods. When women are unable to contribute to economic activities for a number of days, it hampers the growth of the economy. Therefore, it is recommended that the government subsidizes the cost of sanitary pads to ensure affordability for all women and girls. Also, sanitary pads should be made available at public places for free.

Thirdly, stigmatization, which is often encouraged through certain cultural norms remains an issue which should be addressed.

Increased public awareness, sensitization, and education at the grassroots level are necessary to improve the knowledge of individuals on myths and norms that segregate women on their menstrual periods. Menstrual hygiene management should also be prioritized to ensure women and girls are effective during their menstrual periods, for improved productivity.

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