Initiative for Water and Environmental Sustainability - IWES

11/10/2026

Today, IWES joins the global community in championing the rights, voices, and immense potential of every girl child.

This year’s theme, "End child marriage and invest in girls' rights!", is a powerful reminder that we must dismantle the barriers that hold girls back.

One of the most critical, yet often overlooked, barriers to a girl's education and dignity is the lack of basic water, sanitation, and hygiene.
Without sustainable access to WASH facilities, millions of girls cannot safely manage their menstruation. Effective Menstrual Health and Hygiene (MHH) is not a luxury, it is a fundamental human right.

When schools and communities lack clean water and sanitation facilities that promote privacy, girls miss school, they're stripped of their dignity and fall behind. Investing in girls' rights means investing in sustainable WASH facilities, keeping them in school and in control of their futures.

We call on relevant institutions to prioritize reforms and actions and invest in gender-responsive WASH infrastructure and promote policies that protect the holistic well-being of the girl child.

01/10/2026

IWES participated in the Nigerian Civil Society Organizations Coalition’s Workshop on JBS Engagement and Industrial Livestock Expansion in Nigeria, held from 22-24 September 2026 in Abuja.

Over three days of intensive dialogue and strategic planning, civil society organizations, farmer and pastoralist groups, youth and women's organizations, environmental advocates, and animal welfare groups came together to strengthen collective action around transparency, accountability, and sustainable food systems in Nigeria.

As part of the coalition, IWES contributed to discussions on the implications of industrial livestock expansion, the need for public disclosure of investment agreements and environmental assessments, and the importance of protecting the rights, livelihoods, and resources of local communities.

The workshop also explored strategies for evidence-based advocacy, community engagement, policy influence, and the promotion of food systems that are environmentally sustainable, socially just, and economically inclusive.

IWES remains committed to working with partners to advance transparency in decision-making, defend the interests of smallholder farmers and pastoralist communities, promote environmental stewardship, and ensure that Nigeria's food future is shaped through public participation and accountability.
Transparency is not an obstacle to development; it is the foundation of sustainable and accountable development.

24/07/2026

16/06/2026

Today, we mark the Day of the African Child.

This year's theme, "Ensuring Universal Access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Every Child in Africa," is again a wakeup call to immediate action.

It asks for two key things:
1. Positive parenting that protects and nurtures every child
2. Impactful investment in child-responsive water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programming so that no child falls sick or misses school for lack of or unsafe water, poor toilets and hygiene facilities.

WASH policy frameworks matter a lot. They set the direction to achieve desired WASH outcomes. But policies alone cannot solve the problems. Children need working taps, clean toilets and soap in their schools, homes and public places today, not tomorrow.

Let us move beyond policy statements and fund, build, and maintain WASH systems that sustainably work.

Let us put resources where they change lives positively, not just where they look good on paper. That is how we can turn wishes into impactful transformations for every African child.

05/06/2026

Today, we join millions around the world and unite under the theme "Inspired by Nature. For Climate. For Our Future" to reaffirm our commitment to advocating for the protection of the planet.

Nature is our greatest gift and ally in the fight against climate change, from forests that sink carbon, to rivers that sustain life, and biodiversity that keeps ecosystems resilient.

Let us therefore, be inspired by the beauty of the natural world to take climate action and safeguard our shared future.

Happy World Environment Day.

28/05/2026

No girl or woman should face any form of stigma during menstruation. We all have a duty to create a supportive environment for every girl and woman to manage menstruation safely, in privacy, with dignity and without any form of stigma. Let's work