The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Stephen Haykin

  • Cross River community gets N7.8m solar powered borehole

    A solar powered borehole valued at N7.8 million in Ndong Nwong, Odukpani local government area of Cross River State has been commissioned by Water and Development Alliance (WADA), a global partnership between United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Coca-Cola Foundation.

    The USAID Mission Director, Mr. Stephen Haykin represented by Dr. Joachim Ezeji noted that WADA is a partnership between the USAID and the Coca-Cola Foundation that has for the past two years successfully collaborated with the state and local government in Cross River and Abia State.

    He said the partnership has already improved and expanded access to safe and reliable water sanitation services for nearly 48,800 people and sanitation for nearly 11,000 people in 58 rural communities.

    “But as this ceremony attests, we are not finished. With the Coca-Cola, we are improving access to clean water with more projects like you see here today. All, told we are improving access to clean water in 12 schools, four medical centers and two market area in each of four LGAs in the two states to the benefits of 56,000 people,” he said.

    The representative of the Director, Coca-Cola Nigeria, Mrs. Nwamaka Onyemelukwe stated that the partnership with USAID to provide safe, clean and affordable water to communities is part of the organization’s social corporate responsibility.

    “This project has also helped improved coordination between the Federal Government, State and LGAs, and serves as a model on articulation of development plans and resources flow from natural ministries, departments and agencies down to the state and level authorities down to the community level,” she said.

    She noted that the activities promise to increase governmental capacity and coordination, strengthen participation and ownership, clarify investment mechanisms and public finances management and accountability to better attract investments in water and sanitation.

    Responding on behalf of the benefitting community, Mr. Nsa Ekeng Okon said potable water had remained a very serious problem in the community.

    “The result had been an outbreak of water borne disease mostly during the dry season. The general experience was high rate of infant mortality and short life span but with the provision of borehole water in the community and introduction of ventilated inverted pit toilet, those diseases have become things of the past,”

  • Cross River community gets N7.8m solar powered borehole

    A solar powered borehole valued at N7.8 million in Ndong Nwong, Odukpani local government area of Cross River State has been commissioned by Water and Development Alliance (WADA), a global partnership between United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Coca-Cola Foundation.

    The USAID Mission Director, Mr. Stephen Haykin represented by Dr. Joachim Ezeji noted that WADA is a partnership between the USAID and the Coca-Cola Foundation that has for the past two years successfully collaborated with the state and local government in Cross River and Abia State.

    He said the partnership has already improved and expanded access to safe and reliable water sanitation services for nearly 48,800 people and sanitation for nearly 11,000 people in 58 rural communities.

    “But as this ceremony attests, we are not finished. With the Coca-Cola, we are improving access to clean water with more projects like you see here today. All, told we are improving access to clean water in 12 schools, four medical centers and two market area in each of four LGAs in the two states to the benefits of 56,000 people,” he said.

    The representative of the Director, Coca-Cola Nigeria, Mrs. Nwamaka Onyemelukwe stated that the partnership with USAID to provide safe, clean and affordable water to communities is part of the organization’s social corporate responsibility.

    “This project has also helped improved coordination between the Federal Government, State and LGAs, and serves as a model on articulation of development plans and resources flow from natural ministries, departments and agencies down to the state and level authorities down to the community level,” she said.

    She noted that the activities promise to increase governmental capacity and coordination, strengthen participation and ownership, clarify investment mechanisms and public finances management and accountability to better attract investments in water and sanitation.

    Responding on behalf of the benefiting community, Mr. Nsa Ekeng Okon said potable water had remained a very serious problem in the community.

    “The result had been an outbreak of water borne disease mostly during the dry season. The general experience was high rate of infant mortality and short life span but with the provision of borehole water in the community and introduction of ventilated inverted pit toilet, those diseases have become things of the past,”

  • U.S. donates 1.6m bed nets to Nasarawa

    The United States President’s Malaria Initiative ( PMI ) jointly implemented by the U.S. Agency for International Development ( USAID ) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) have donated 1.6 million bed nets for distribution in Nasarawa State.

    A statement by the U.S. Embassy on Friday in Abuja quoted USAID/Nigeria Mission Director, Stephen Haykin, saying the nets were worth 4.5 million US Dollars.

    Haykin said that the nets would be distributed in all local government areas of the state.

    “The U. S. Government also provided additional 1 million US Dollars for logistics, including transportation community mobilisation, and training of workers on how to distribute the bed nets.

    “The nets and logistics support provided for their distribution are a gift from the American People to the People of Nasarawa State.

    “Every year, PMI supports two to three states in Nigeria with such campaigns.

    “In 2017, PMI supported Kogi, Sokoto, and Adamawa States,” he stated.

    He said the support was to increase access to malaria related health services, scale up access to malaria prevention within every household especially the poor, and for sustainable investment that can bring about great economic returns.

    “Malaria is one of the leading killers of children and cause of illness in Nigeria, particularly during the rainy season when mosquitoes multiply rapidly.

    “Eliminating malaria in Nasarawa State and throughout Nigeria as a whole is possible if we all work together to achieve that,” he said.

    He said since 2011, USAID and CDC had supported PMI with the procurement of over 31 million Bed nets for distribution, and delivered to more than 60 million people.
    “Since 2011, the U.S. Government has spent more than 420 million US Dollars to control malaria in Nigeria.

    “Over 50 per cent of U.S. Government funding for malaria goes into procuring and distributing insecticide treated bed nets, malaria diagnostic kits, and malaria medicines.

    “In addition, the U.S. Government supports advocacy and mobilization to encourage members of the community to sleep under the bed nets every night, and trains health workers to test for malaria before treatment,” he added.

    NAN

  • U.S donates $9.5m food aid to women, children

    The United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has provided an additional $9.5 million to the United Nation’s World Food Program (WFP). This is to ensure that more than 175,000 mothers and children under five do not suffer from malnutrition during this year’s “lean” season.
    The grant from USAID’s Health, Population, and Nutrition Office, is to supplement the ongoing support for the humanitarian assistance in Nigeria by its Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) and Food for Peace (FFP).
    In a statement made available to the Nation, the USAID/Nigeria Mission Director, Stephen Haykin, said it is also seeks to bridge a funding shortfall announced by WFP late last month. The grant according to him will fund a blanket supplementary feeding program to protect the nutrition status of children aged six months to five years and lactating women in the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) and host communities of Borno State through provision of specialized nutritious foods.
    He said: “In response to the call by the WFP to meet a severe funding shortfall, USAID is pleased to play a part in making sure that the most vulnerable of those impacted by the Boko Haram conflict are taken care of”, adding this support will go to nine areas where the needs of mothers and their children are the greatest.
    According to him, the assistance will help WFP reach an additional 110,000 children under five and 65,000 pregnant and nursing mothers with specialized nutritious food commodities in nine local government areas (LGA) in Borno State.
    WFP he added launched what is known as a Blanket Supplementary Feeding Program aimed at preventing further decline in nutritional status among young children suffering from moderate acute malnutrition, as well as protect the nutritional status of others who are not yet malnourished but are at high risk.
    Haykin said the program, which would distribute the nutrient-rich food monthly through the end of the rainy, or “lean,” season in August, is expected to significantly reduce the burden on the health system related to treating malnutrition as well as other health conditions related to under nutrition, consequently preventing related mortality.
    USAID he said partnered to end extreme poverty and promote resilient, democratic societies while advancing security and prosperity. He said in its partnership with Nigeria, the United States strengthens social stability through social services, supports transparent and accountable governance, promotes a more market­led economy, and enhances Nigeria’s capacity as a responsible regional and trade partner.