Promoting health and hygiene

John Goteng, water filtration supervisor, tests levels of bacteria in water filtered by gravel, charcoal and sand in Nigeria [Jon Spaull]

The Nigeria Primary Healthcare Programme helps people in rural northern Nigeria to improve their health and quality of life.

Their health education activities covering nutrition, immunisation, HIV and AIDS, water and sanitation, personal hygiene and the treatment of common illnesses have meant that malnutrition, skin disease and diarrhoea are now less common.

They train village health workers to treat minor illnesses and assist with antenatal care and deliveries.

They assist communities to build pit latrines and install sand filters for purifying water, reducing the incidence of water-borne disease.

They also immunise children and pregnant women.

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