Adolescence is a crucial stage in every person’s development, as increased responsibility and opportunity present themselves alongside physical and emotional changes. At the core of a happy, safe and successful life are respectful relationships in every sphere. Respectful relationships start, however, with self-respect. Statistics show that Nigeria is the country of the young with half of its entire population, 46%, currently under the age of 15. The current total for children under the age of 5 stands at nearly 31 million while each year at least 7 million babies are born. According to the WASH Norm Data (2019) in Nigerian schools. only 33% have basic water supply services, 26% have basic sanitation services, while 10% have basic hygiene services. Poor access to WASH services in schools is a major contributing factor to high mortality rates among children under five. The use of contaminated drinking water and poor sanitary conditions result in increased vulnerability to water-borne diseases, including diarrhoea which leads to the deaths of more than 70,000 children.
Understanding the importance of empowering the young child and adolescent in communities, and bringing an end to genital and female mutilation, and ultimately providing children in schools and communities access to WASH services, we developed the Young Child, Adolescent and Drills PSHE program. This project is being implemented in Abuja, Lagos, Kwara and Ogun States.