778 women benefits from FG’s GWIN programme

778 women benefits from FG’s GWIN programme

NAN-AE-8

 Women

By Tosin Kolade

Abuja, Sept. 22, 2016 (NAN)  No fewer than  778 women are benefiting from Federal Government’s Growing Girls and Women in  Nigeria (GWIN) programme, aimed at scaling up access to water and sanitation in seven states.

The Head, Gender Unit, Federal Ministry of Water Resources, Mrs Jummai Wakaso, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, that the programme, is targeted at establishing water points and toilets for women in rural areas, to enable them move up the sanitation ladder.

She said the ministry was working to ensure that Nigerians have access to potable water,  adding that more states would soon benefit from the programme.

According to her, so far benefiting states are  Osun, Bauchi, Kebbi, Plateau, Taraba, Delta and Abia.

Wakaso said although funding was still a major challenge,  but  assured that efforts were on to partner with other tiers of government and development partners towards meeting these targets.

She said the project, called Partnership for Extended Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (PEWASH), would make access to water and sanitation a priority.

 Wakaso said that at the just concluded National Council on Water Resources, there was a resolution to include North East states in the GWIN programme.

According to her, this will promote overall health and well being of people in the states, and also improve women empowerment.

“In principle, it was adopted that we extend the GWIN programme to North East states, we know that they are battling to have their lives back due to effects of insurgency.