Report By Bunmi Yekini
A cross section of participants and officials of USAID at the workshop which was held in Lagos…
Seven Community Based Organisations (CBOs) have been giving grants worth $841,217.39 to implement Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) service delivery in Lagos State, this is according to Engr. Soni Elisha John, Deputy Chief of party for USAID/Nigeria Lagos Urban Water Sanitation and Hygiene (LUWASH) Activity.
Engr. John said that the beneficiary organisations will implement the grants in compliance with USAID and the U.S. Government regulations governing Grants Under Contracts, as well as LUWASH’s internal grant management policies.
He made this known during his opening remarks at a 3-day capacity building and implementation kick-off workshop organised by the USAID/Nigeria LUWASH Activity for the seven partners that will implement the grants.
The three-day workshop held from July 8 to 10, 2024 at the Sojourner By Genesis Hotel, Ikeja Lagos was aimed to orientate the grantees with the rules and guidelines of the grants. It marked the official launch of the implementation phase of the LUWASH Grants under Contract (GUC) programme.
The orientation programme brought together the signed grantees, representatives of CBOs, officials of USAID/Nigeria LUWASH as well as representatives of the media at the workshop.
It provided an overview of the LUWASH programme and outlined the roles of the grantees while emphasising the importance of the grants in promoting sustainable development and improving public health outcomes in Lagos State.
Engr. John also underscored that the grants are not gifts but funds provided to execute the activities outlined in the grantees’ proposals. He stressed the importance of grantee accountability and commitment to delivering the activities outlined in their proposals, ensuring these activities directly benefit low-income communities around Lagos. Noting that the project is provided through the support of the American people through USAID, the grants totalling $841,217.39 were signed between LUWASH and the seven CBOs in Lagos between May and June 2024.
Implemented through the LUWASH Capacity Building, Research, and Advocacy Fund (CAREVO Fund), these grants aim to improve the sustainability of CBOs, enhance their growth opportunities, and enable them to reach more households with safely managed WASH services in Lagos.
The first set of recipient Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) that got the grants includes the Clean Borehole Water Sellers Association of Lagos, Youth Empowerment Foundation (YEF), Optimal Greening Foundation (OGF), Lagos Civil Society Participation for Development (LACSOP), Development Communications Network (DEVCOMS), Initiative for Disaster Risk Reduction and Urban Resilience (IDRRUR), and Organisation for Peaceful Society in Africa (OPSA).
These merit-based grants are designed to strengthen the sustainability and reach of these CSOs in delivering safe water, sanitation, and hygiene services.
These organisations will implement interventions aimed at improving Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) practices, establishing the Citizens-led Accountability and Inclusion Mechanism (CLAIM) for WASH service delivery, and strengthening the capacity of CBOs for greater effectiveness and accountability in the WASH sector in Lagos State.
Additionally, one of the grants will facilitate effective fecal sludge management and restore water supply and sanitation facilities in the Okobaba community in Ebute Metta East, Lagos Mainland Local Government, among other initiatives.