Tapping into a brighter future: Nestlé’s water projects in Nigerian communities

Stanley Ihedigbo examines and delves into Nestlé Nigeria’s water legacy, the impact, and the successes of its community-driven water projects.

Imagine how different life would be without accessible clean water. It’s unfathomable. The activities we take for granted in developed countries like washing our bodies and having running clean water in our homes, utilizing indoor plumbing, and drinking clean water wouldn’t be possible — ever. Yet this is the reality of life for over 2.2 billion people worldwide, mostly children.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that water is considered “the most important resource for sustaining ecosystems, which provide life-supporting services for people, animals, and plants.

Not only do individuals need clean water, but entire communities need clean water, and they need more than just water. Communities need clean water that is safe to use for household cooking, washing, and sanitation.

The United States Geological Society (USGS) defined safe water as “water that will not harm you if you come in contact with it.”

The United Nations (UN) discussed five significant reasons that safe and clean water is a vital necessity for communities to thrive physically, mentally, economically, socially, and spiritually.

Those reasons include are, sustainable development; socioeconomic development; energy and food production; health and survival; healthy ecosystem.

The sustainable development meets the needs of people now without depleting resources for future generations.

According to a report, in 2015, the UN adopted seventeen “Sustainable Development Goals” as a worldwide plan to end extreme poverty, reduce inequality, and protect the planet by 2030.

The focus of Goal 6 is to ensure that all people have access to a sustainable clean water supply and adequate water sanitation.

Poverty and lack of clean water go hand-in-hand, and a key component to eliminating poverty is having access to safe water. When water supplies are improved and sustainable, it significantly enhances a community’s economic growth and reduces poverty.

Women and children who often spend up to six hours every day collecting water. Because so much time is devoted to that task, it inhibits women from working to generate a livelihood, and it dramatically reduces children’s time for education.

When any part of a community is marginalized this way, its social and economic development suffers. For example, when children spend time in school rather than spending it collecting water every day, it positions them for more opportunities and economically benefits the community as a whole.

Lack of clean water contributes to the deaths of over 3.575 million people who succumb to diseases related to unsafe water every year.

Some of these people are the primary income earners for their families, and losing them plummets their families into more severe poverty, which can impact several generations.

When communities don’t have access to clean water for energy and food production, they resort to irrigating crops with untreated wastewater, which leads to water-borne diseases.

It is estimated that less than 10% of collected wastewater globally is treated.
Untreated wastewater is polluted with sewage that contains harmful toxins such as diarrhea-causing bacteria and other pathogens.

When this dirty water is used to grow food for the community, the contaminants affect the food supply and its health.

Another report noted that over 3,575,000 people die each year from diseases stemming from dirty water; that’s one person every ten seconds, and most of them are children under age five. When communities don’t have access to clean water, they are often left with no other option but to wash with and drink contaminated water directly from swamps.

Another way access to clean water helps people thrive physically in communities is by reducing the strain on the bodies of women and children who carry heavy water containers while walking for hours every day to collect water for their families.

Additionally, there is a safety risk of harm from wild animals and other people when they walk great distances without protection.

When there is clean water accessible within the community, it eliminates those risks. Clean water also has a physical impact on human brains, which helps communities thrive mentally.

Religiously, to build holistic clean water solutions and spread God’s love in at-risk communities around the world, empowering people not just to survive, but to thrive – physically, socially and spiritually.

And in Nigeria , Nestlé company  is quenching the thirst of rural communities, transforming lives, and fostering development through its sustainable water initiatives.

With over 60% of Nigeria’s population lacking access to clean water, the company’s commitment to providing potable water is bridging the gap and paving the way for a brighter future.

Through its Community Water Schemes, Nestlé Nigeria has invested heavily in water infrastructure, benefiting over 100,000 people in communities across the country.

From boreholes to water treatment plants, the company’s projects ensure clean water accessibility, improving health, education, and economic opportunities.

In reiterating their commitment towards providing clean water to communities in Nigeria, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Mr. Wassim Elhusseini, said that; ” Access to clean water is a fundamental human right. We’re proud to contribute to Nigeria’s development through our water initiatives.

Sone of the recent  Nestlé Nigeria water project scheme are, donation of  water and sanitation facilities to support learners and educators at LG Primary School, Adie Owe, Ado-Odo-Ota Local Government of Ogun State.

The facilities are to  serve over 500 individuals including educators, learners in the school and several families within the community under the Nestlé for Healthier Kids (N4HK), a school-based nutrition and health education program built on four pillars: Healthy Nutrition, Healthy Hydration, Physical Activity and Hygiene.

“At Nestlé, we recognize that maintaining appropriate hygiene standards and practices which is one of the pillars of N4HK is very difficult in the absence of basic water and sanitation facilities,” Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Manager, Nestlé Nigeria, Victoria Uwadoka, stated.

According to Uwadoka, Nestlé’s investment in water and sanitation facilities for beneficiary schools underscores its commitment to comprehensive health education, enhancing quality of life and building thriving communities.

She stated further that the investment is on the back of recognizing hygiene as a crucial component of the N4HK program and affirming the difficulty of hygiene practice and education in the absence of basic water and sanitation facilities.

“We have invested in providing access to water and sanitation facilities in the N4HK beneficiary schools. In Ogun State alone, we have completed and commissioned facilities in ten schools, serving 4,000 learners and educators as well as members of the immediate communities,” Uwadoka stated.

Commissioner of Education, Science and Technology, Ogun State, Abayomi Arigbabu, commended Nestlé for partnering with the state government on the provision of facilities for public schools.

Arigbabu, who was represented by Adedotun Ogunleye, zonal education officer, Ado Odo Ota, stated that the sustained partnership with Nestlé Nigeria in promoting a conducive and sustainable environment for education is highly commendable.

“We appreciate the company for conceptualizing this noble idea of provision of water and sanitation facilities in schools, which is aimed at providing a healthier environment for the safety of our children,” Arigbabu stated.

Expressing her gratitude, Darasinmi Agunbiade, a primary 5 learner in the school, stated that, “I am very happy that we no longer have to endure long treks for water. Previously, we only had one toilet, but now, with the separate facilities for girls and boys, practicing what we learn during the hygiene sessions in N4HK classes becomes much easier. Thank you Nestlé”.

In  commemorating the World Water Day 2024 with the theme “Water for Peace,” Nestlé Nigeria, the Ogun State Government and the Ogun-Osun Water Basin Authority organised an event to raise awareness about the importance of water conservation and responsible water management practices.

The event which took place in Abeokuta, highlighted the role of Public-Private Partnership, (PPP)  spurs collective action towards a water-secure future.

Over the years, the company has achieved reductions of 48,898 m3 in water usage, demonstrating its dedication to sustainable water stewardship.

“We are delighted to collaborate with the Ogun State Government to champion sustainable water practices on World Water Day 2024,” said Mr. Wassim Elhusseini, CEO of Nestlé Nigeria.

“Water is a precious resource, and it is our collective responsibility to protect and conserve it. Through this collaboration, we aim to make a positive impact on the environment and the communities we serve.”

The Head, Corporate Communications, Public Affairs and Sustainability at Nestlé Nigeria, Victoria Uwadoka said, “We are delighted to collaborate with the Ogun State Government to champion sustainable water practices on World Water Day 2024. Nestlé is committed to taking action to protect water resources for today and for future generations.
We have therefore implemented water-saving measures to achieve water savings of 48,898 m3 across our operations in the last three years. In addition, we engage with our local communities and other critical stakeholders on water conservation efforts. Water is a precious resource, and it is our collective responsibility to protect and conserve it.”

“The World Water Day event with the Ogun State Ministry of Environment and the Ogun- Osun River Basin Development Authority is part of the ongoing collaboration to promote more sustainable water stewardship and to make a positive impact on the environment and the communities we serve”, she stressed.

In his speech at the event, the Honourable commissioner for Environment, Hon. Ola Oresanya said “the responsibility for leveraging water for peace is not solely a government role but the joint responsibility of everyone. The need for cooperation by all relevant agencies, industrial and commercial facilities, academia, investors, drillers, and individuals at all levels is the crux of today’s message.”

“Let us recommit to unite around water and use water for peace and to lay foundations of a more stable and prosperous future. It is time to foster harmony between communities and states, communities and industries, academia, and Government among others. Water must be viewed as a shared interest so that management of scarce water resources can lead to cooperation rather than conflict”.

Nestlé Nigeria also works closely with communities closest to their operations to improve access to clean and safe water through sustainable water projects such as the construction of water infrastructure and the establishment of community boreholes.

As part of the collaboration with the Ogun State Government, Nestlé Nigeria expanded its efforts to promote sustainable water practices.

The partnership  focused on raising awareness about water conservation, educating communities about responsible water usage, and implementing initiatives to improve water access and quality.

“Nestlé Nigeria’s water project has changed our lives. Our children no longer fall sick from water-borne diseases,” A Community Leader, Alhaji Ladi Oyewale.

Speaking with our Correspondent on the the company support to Nigerian communities, Secretary -General, Akoli Imenyi Development Union, Pastor Onyemachi Njikeonye , appealed to  Nestlé Nigeria to extend their water project to his community in Abia State.

He noted for many years, his people have been suffering and don’t have access to good or clean water supply.

“Around 1986, the community gathered and contributed money for borehole and until now, the project don’t see the light of the day. Even the materials brought for the borehole has been stolen and there is nothing to continue with the water project. Since, the community women and children have been resorted to fetching water from the local streams around the environment.

“Those streams where our women and fetches water can’t be compared to a clean water supply and we wish and pray that the company will  remember a community like ours in future,” he prayed.