SAFE WATER ASSESSMENT OF ANGWA FULANI (HERDS FULANI SETTLEMENT) IN NIGERIA.

Safe water assessment of Angwa Fulani, a herdsmen settlement of 5 huts in the western bound of Nasarawa State, Nigeria was carried out by Comrade Akinloye Segun Oyeniyi - an Advocate of safe and healthy humanity on the 21st of July, 2011.

GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION

Angwa Fulani is of woodland savannah vegetation type lying on latitude 8 54N and longitude 7 43E. No motor-able access from about 10,000 metres away.

THE PEOPLE

The people of Angwa Fulani are the herds Fulani, they live in extreme poverty; the majority of them are women. Poverty is particularly acute among women and girls in this rural settlement. The women have no economic opportunities and less autonomy, hence they are poorer.

CULTURE

The rigidity of socially prescribed roles for women has increased the burden of Angwa Fulani women and girls. This made them the most-hit victims of unsafe water.
Entering the settlement by strangers, especially males is totally forbidden, hence the inability of the visiting volunteers to speak and take pictures with women and little girls that we met on getting there.
It was a risky trip because of the culture of the settlers. The men normally wont be at home by the time we arrived there, only the wives and the children farming around the huts. The men are gone with the grazing of their herds. Approaching the settlement to take shots and videos was not safe much more of interrogating the wives and the children but we did a nice job of getting their only source of water. The little milky stream serve both the human, animals and birds inhabitants of the settlement. The milky stream is not safe for drinking for the inhabitants except for irrigation. No access road to the settlement from about 10,000 metres away except footpath.

RELIGION

The Fulanis practice Islam and this has a direct influence on how the households are controlled. Their women and girl children are permanently at home attending to the farms around the huts, cook, wash and give birth to offspring.

POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC ISSUES AFFECTING ACCESSIBILITY TO CLEAN WATER

Women’s health as we know involves their emotional, social and physical wellness. This is determined by the political, economic and social context of their lives, as well as by sexuality and reproduction (biology). Angwa Fulani has no access to economic resources; education and training, and support services that will make them have unhindered access to safe drinking water and other amenities. This has greatly increased the burden of poverty on the women and the girls and achievement of universal education in all countries before the year 2015.

ACCESS TO EDUCATIONAL AND HEALTH FACILITY

With the high tendency of contacting water-borne diseases by the inhabitants of this settlement, Angwa Fulani women and girls still have no access to affordable and quality health care. They are prone to diseases associated with unhygienic water and unhealthy environment, for they are about 200,000 metres away from the nearest government health centre and public school. People of Angwa Fulani are in desperate need of clean and safe drinking water because of their vulnerability to water-borne diseases and high maternal and infant mortality rates.

DIFFICULTIES FACED BY WOMEN AND GIRLS IN ACCESSING SAFE WATER

It is difficult for the women (some heavily pregnant) and girl children of Angwa Fulani to access safe drinking water. they usually trek down to the only available stream of about 1000 metres away which has permanently turned milky by incessant traffic of herds crossing it. They drink, wash, and bath with this milky water together with their cows and other traveling herds.