On 18 February 2017, the Tracking Needs team was at Kuchidna Community, Kubusu, Karu LGA, Nassarawa state for research and investigation over their urgent capital needs. This was following baseline indicators that opined that the community has several challenges on access to basic social amenities. The community has a population of 3000 with no access to electricity, clean water, and dilapidated healthcare and primary school facilities. Basic Rights Watch has commissioned several advocacy strategies over the case of Kuchidna, and calls on all relevant governmental and non-governmental authorities to urgently intervene in the community.
Updates on #TheStoryofKuchidna
#NoAccesstoCleanWater
Kuchidna has no access to clean water and depends on a dug hole that houses water during the rainy season (see image), for drinking, cooking water etc. While this is deeply unhygienic, it exposes the community to several diseases such as diarrhoea in which several deaths have been recorded. There is an urgent need for the community to be provided with an access to clean water.
#ShabbyPrimarySchoolFacility
Kuchidna has a grossly dilapidated primary school facility of few blocks without school desks. Pupils sit on shabby wood that is supported by blocks and stones to learn. Regardless this, the classroom blocks are ill-equipped with leaking zincs, rough walls and a mud floor. The school has about 2 teachers who teach primary 1 – 6. This jeopardizes the ability of Kuchidna children to access quality elementary education in a conducive environment. The school needs human resource, desks, books, while the facility needs rehabilitation and expansion.
#ShabbyHealthCareFacility
The image showcases the drug-store of the Primary Healthcare Facility (PHC) at Kuchidna. The PHC lacks drugs and vaccines as well as fridges for storing such items. The PHC has only a Community Health Worker; 2 small ill-equipped wards; lacks a medical doctor, electricity, water supply, toilet etc. and does not have the capacity to admit a patient. Furthermore, they have to use lanterns to work at night. The whole village relies on this facility. As a result and over distance to another healthcare facility and bad road network, the community has recorded deaths during emergencies. The PHC needs human resource, drugs, vaccines, fridge, beds, equipment, water, electricity, toilet, while the building needs rehabilitation. The community has already provided a site for a PHC construction.
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#CommunityVoices
The PHC lacks a functioning toilet said a health worker
“We do not have toilets here, except an open space at the back of the PHC (see image). While it is deeply unhygienic, a lot of pregnant women have to make use of it during child delivery. This is very bad, we need a functional toilet.” – Mike . . .
We remove the mud over time so that water can enter the hole said a community member
“We drink this water and we use it for other things. At intervals, we remove the mud over time so that water can enter the hole. The whole community relies on this.” – a community member
Land for a PHC construction already provided
“We have gone ahead and provided a land for PHC construction here. We are using someone’s building currently. We have started molding blocks. We do not have the capacity to provide modern healthcare for ourselves, but we just have to start doing something on poor healthcare access in our community.” – a community member
#ActiononKuchidna
On 5 April 2017, we sent advocacy letters to all concerned governmental personnel and organizations for them to intervene on the #TheStoryofKuchidna. The list encompasses, His Excellency, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, the Executive Governor of Nasarawa State; Hon. Gaza Jonathan Gbefwi, Member Representing Karu, Keffi and Kokona Federal Constituency, Federal House of Representatives; Distinguished Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, Senator Representing Nasarawa West Senatorial District, Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; Hon. Hashimu Jibrin, Member Representing Gurku, Nasarawa State House of Assembly; The Honourable Commissioner of Education, Nasarawa State; The Secretary, State Universal Basic Education Commission, State Ministry of Education, Nasarawa State; The Executive Secretary, Universal Basic Education Commission, Abuja; The Karu LGA Chairman, Nasarawa State; The Executive Director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency; The Honourable Commissioner of Water Resources and Rural Development, Ministry of Water Resources and Rural Development, Nasarawa State; The Managing Director, Upper Niger River Basin Development Authority; and The Honourable Commissioner of Health, State Ministry of Health, Nasarawa State.
Find the letters here.
At Last, Kuchidna Community Finds Succor
Following our multi-stakeholder advocacy strategy for this campaign, hope was rekindled for them through the intent of @Livebridge Foundation to fix a water borehole for them. After further trips to the community, this time, with Livebridge, a site for the water project was secured. Currently, Live bridge Foundation has completed the borehole project and it is functional. At last, the community now has a clean source of drinking water. This\’ a milestone in the efforts toward providing social amenities to them. We are confident that this will go a long way in ameliorating the water crisis faced by the community. And reduce the incidence of diseases caused by the unhygienic water source previously used by the community. We want to sincerely appreciate all at Livebridge Foundation whose intervention has brought joy to the people of Kuchidna community.
Read more about this great news here: https://basicrightswatch.org/
