By Bassey Nkponam
UYO
In its avowed commitment towards promoting community hygiene and environmental malaria prevention in Akwa Ibom State, Women United for Economic Empowerment(WUEE), an indigenous non governmental organization in the State is embarking on a project tagged, “Gutter Cleaning and Malaria Prevention Project(GC-MAPP), in Uyo, the State capital.
The GC-MAPP is aims at reducing malaria incidence and improving community health through environmental management of mosquito breeding sites in Akwa Ibom State and broader South-South region.
The organization’s moves commenced on Wednesday, August 12 2026, with a community sensitization on the “Gutter Cleaning and Malaria Prevention Project(GC-MAPP), organized and hundred percent funded by it, held at EMJMM Hotels and Suites, Uyo, with participants drawn from the 10 pilot communities of Afia, Akpakpan, Ekpenyong, Paul Bassey, Ekpo Obot, Utang, Okokon Etuk, Udok, Enwe, and Gibbs streets, in Uyo.
Addressing participants at the event, the president and chief executive officer of WUEE, Mrs Aniema Udofa, noted that while malaria constiutes 27 per cent deaths globally, in Nigeria, it has caused deaths among children and adults.
Udofa who was represented by the grant and compliance officer of the organization, Mrs Emem Joseph Ekong, observed that in the South South region, malaria continues to thrive due to poor maintenance of gutters, open drainage systems, and blocking of water drains and enabling breeding sites for mosquito which causes malaria, adding that despite different preventive measures adopted by Nigerians, malaria prevalence remains high due to poor environmental management.
This issue she said, led to WUEE’s determination to take a step in ensuring reduction in malaria prevention and prevalence in the State by leading in the cleaning exercise and creating community awareness on how residents can keep an healthy environment and by so doing, reducing malaria prevention.
Giving an overview of the project, the president and CEO, said the specific objectives of the project was to clear and rehabilitate at least 50km of community gutters and drains across across 10 pilot communities within six months; employ and train 150 women and youth as community sanitation agents to conduct regular cleaning, waste removal, and monitoring; conduct public education campaigns on environmental hygiene, waste management, and Jomalaria prevention for 20,000 residents, and also establish community sanitation committee in each locality to sustain maintenance and liaise with local government councils.
She mentioned the proposed activities of the project to include mapping and assessment- during which blocked drains, stagnant water hotspots, and high risk malaria zones will be identified in collaboration with local health and environmental agencies; drainage rehabilitation- where community sanitation agents (mostly women and youth) will be mobilized to remove debris, clear gutters and restore water flow; public health education in partnership with local radio and schools to promote community hygiene and environmental malaria prevention messages; capacity building- where sanitation agents will be trained on safe cleaning practices, waste segregation, and environmental monitoring; partnership and advocacy- where WUEE will engage the State Ministry of Environment, local councils and the State malaria elimination programme for technical support and integration into local sanitation plans, as well as monitoring and evaluation to track reduction in standing water sites, community participation, and reported malaria cases in target areas.
According to Udofa, in the end of the six months pilot project, a reduction of mosquito breeding sites by at least 60 per cent in pilot communities is expected and observable decline in malaria cases, especially among children under five and pregnant women.
Other expected results and impacts of the project as stated by her, is the creation of sustainable green jobs for women and youth in community sanitation; improved urban drainage and reduced flooding during rainy seasons, as well as strengthened collaboration between civil society and government on environmental health management.
Highlighting the NGO’s achievement in the last 24 years, the president and chief executive officer recalled that since its establishment in 2002, WUEE has implemented various projects in different thematic areas in Akwa Ibom, and other States in the Niger Delta region such as Cross River, Rivers, and Delta States.
These areas include education, health, agriculture , environment, youth development, wholistic programming, women’s right s that has to do with gender biased violence, child rights, governance(citizens engagement), etc, with targets on women, men, girls, vulnerable children, persons living with disabilities in target communities and states.
According to her, on education, WUEE has enrolled vulnerable children across different local government areas of the State who dropped out in school, made them to stay in school, and help them complete their education through provision of scholarship and educational materials from secondary to tertiary institution, adding that up to 500 girls have benefited from the gesture.
She expressed appreciation to participants for hearkening to the call by WUEE and turning up for the sensitization meeting, which she noted, was WUEE’s iniitiative to complement government effort of ensuring citizens live in clean, safe and healthy environment, urging them to be attentive during the session inorder to gain full understanding of the project when asking questions or making contributions that would help the organization achieve success in the course of implementation of the GC-MAPP.
Udofa recalled that prior to the sensitization meeting, WUEE had embarked on baseline survey of four locations in the state, and advocacy, the sensitization was a step to drive the pilot project which she expressed belief that its success after six months could lead to its continuity by residents of the pilot communities, other organizations or the government in future.
At the event, participants applauded WUEE for its vision in initiating the project aimed at reducing mosquito breeding sites and malaria prevalence in their areas, and state in general.
They stressed the need for sensitization of residents of the pilot streets against indiscriminate disposal of waste into gutters thereby leading to blocked drains and flooding, and also advocated for a waste disposal bin in streets, for proximity, frowning at long distances of approved locations for waste bins in streets.
Participants identified long distances for approved locations for waste disposal as one of the causes of poor environmental management in the State, and frowned at neglect of waste and debris from gutters on the streets and delays of evacuation of such waste by authorities concerned.
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