WASH Program

A high percentage of the youth living in the slums where Slum Art Foundation works have no access to the basic necessities of life, including clean water and safe hygiene. Most lack formal education and are often unable to secure employment and/or obtain the critical life and entrepreneurial skills required to contribute socially and economically. Unmitigated, this situation poses a potential threat to safety, security, mental health, and economic growth. 

This threat is seen locally as well as globally, with an estimated 2.4 million deaths (4.2% of all deaths worldwide) that could have been prevented annually through access to WASH. The World Health Organization estimates about 94% of all diarrheal diseases in Nigeria could be prevented if access to WASH was available. In Nigeria, 130,000 child deaths are caused by preventable water-borne infections. The mortality rate for children under 5 in Nigeria is about 150,000 per year (He et al., 2018). 

Slum Art is dedicated to bringing WASH stations to the Orisunbrae Community in Ijora Badia, Nigeria to supply children and youth with basic needs to support their experiences in our community programming. WASH stations in this community can greatly improve quality of life by reducing death and illness rates dramatically. The WASH Program will improve mortality and morbidity rates, especially among children in the community by improving water quality and sanitation. 

Our purpose is to promote the welfare and education of youth in disadvantaged communities around the world through arts education and mentorship. To mentor and restructure the mindset and build up the creative talent of youth from the Nigerian slums and ultimately across the world. We have observed that a major percentage of youth in slums are illiterate/lack formal education, have low self-esteem and have a subjective mindset. Growing up in such an environment causes a negative effect on the child; consequently, this has a major impact on contributions to economic development and realizing a promising future. 

Youth from this environment are unable to secure employment and/or obtain entrepreneurial skills to remain useful for themselves and their community. Often times these issues are attributed to poverty and lack of training to unlock and develop in-built potentials. Oftentimes, the child in question is vulnerable and open to bad influence when idleness is maintained. This is a potential threat to safety, security, and mental and economic growth; therefore, a solution must be implemented.

 Our vision is to end poverty for children by using art as a tool for change across the world. Our values are equity, sustainability, creativity, partnership, and engagement. The biggest risk factor we face at this juncture is losing the opportunity to meet our long-term goals due to a lack of funding. Without Slum Art, the youth of our target populations will lose opportunities to access education, creative outlets, guidance, therapy, and healthcare. These key determinants of health have a huge impact on children's lives and our future.

By ensuring Orisunbrae Community is practicing sanitation and has access to clean water we are fostering the development of these underserved children. Our mission is to reach youth from underserved communities using art and other supports as tools for social improvement— Quality of Life, Health, Behavior, Knowledge, and Environment. To accomplish this, the main goals of the Slum Arts WASH program are to reduce open defecation, create water well systems to bring clean water to the community, and educate the community on safe sanitation practices such as hand washing. This goal can be easily accommodated through our programming for staff, parents, and students.

Slum Art’s first goal of the WASH Program is to reduce open defecation in Orisunbrae Community in Ijora Badia, Nigeria. The main objective is to build 4 dry toilets in the Orisunbrae Community, which can also be used as compost by the end of 2022. These facilities will help bring better sanitation practices and reduce illness and death caused by poor sanitation and exposure to human waste products. The collected waste can be turned into compost that can be used to improve the soil quality in the area. As a performance indicator, we will look at incidence rates of diseases associated with sanitation such as diarrhea at the baseline of construction. To ensure quality we will follow up quarterly for the rest of the 2022 year to track data regarding illnesses related to sanitation. 

The second goal of Slum Art’s WASH Program is to create access to safe water for drinking and use. The objective is to create safe drinking water well 1.2 kilometers away from all sewage systems in the Orisunbrae Community by the end of 2022 year. By providing access to clean safe drinking water, water-borne illnesses such as cholera, diarrhea, typhoid fever, and hepatitis can be greatly reduced. As a performance indicator, we will look at incidence rates at baseline for water-born illnesses in the community and follow up quarterly for the rest of 2022. Slum Art also plans to hire local workers to help build both of these facilities which will also generate revenue for the Orisunbrae Community.

Slum Arts' third goal is to use the CDC’s educational materials on WASH to educate community members on proper sanitary practices. The objective is to form a WASH committee in the Orisunbrae Community. This committee will be trained on how to maintain and properly use WASH facilities using CDC WASH training materials. The committee will conduct monthly courses on areas such as hand washing to ensure the community is knowledgeable about proper sanitation techniques. To measure self-efficacy in the community we will take a survey at baseline, and one after the educational courses to ensure the participants are benefitting from the courses. The more people know how to use and maintain the WASH facility the less disease burden will be prevalent in the Orisunbrae Community.

Currently, there is no safe running water or waste receptacles available to community members. Our focus is on the youth who live in the Orisunbrae Community. However, the WASH Program will greatly improve the lives of all members of the community regardless of age. It will do so by bringing safe drinking water and places to responsibly place waste. The waste can also be turned into compost to improve the soil composition for farming and gardening. 

Slum Art has the organizational capacity to bring the WASH Program to fruition with the proper funding. We have multiple dedicated volunteers with various backgrounds in education, public health, research, and government grant writing and management. Slum Art also has 4 full-time employees and 6 part-time employees from the community. 

Slum Art has the overwhelming support of the community and our partners. Slum Art has taken on large successful infrastructure projects in the past such as the P.E.T Bottle School Project and the P.E.T Bottle Collection Site. The P.E.T Bottle School is built from recycled materials collected from students and community members. The P.E.T. School project brings community-supported, environmentally sustainable schoolhouses where youth can gain access to education, creative space, therapy, and supportive opportunities for economic prosperity.

 As an extension of the project, a collection site for P.E.T bottles was recently opened to collect materials for future environmental projects through a partnership with WRAP. Slum Art is happy to announce the P.E.T Bottle School Project is set to hold its official opening ceremony on 4/28/2022 at 10 am. Slum Art has the necessary skills and manpower to complete this project.

Slum Art is composed of many artists and inspired volunteers. This is a crucial time for us to receive 2022 funding in this basic needs area so that we can gain support program building to gain momentum on grants, sales, and events funding as the year progresses that will allow us to further leverage the great strength of our youth and community programming that we have been able to establish. Without this funding for basic needs, we are likely to have difficulty in maintaining forward motion in our on-the-ground efforts at the school in this community as our energy will have to go primarily to finding other ways to meet this basic need for safe water and hygiene instead of the school.  By helping to fund the WASH Program you would greatly improve the lives of many people – not only the students who attend but their families and extended community.

Our approach is the best solution for this issue because it is first and foremost sustainable, ecologically sound, and feasible for the site and the community. The wells will be powered by solar energy. The systems will be easy to use and maintain. WASHCOMs will be created to train community members on how to operate and maintain these systems. The waste receptacles will also be utilized to help improve local agriculture and the quality of the soil in the area. All toilets installed will be composting toilets. Compost from these receptacles can be used to improve agriculture through soil quality in the community. The program is designed with the direct involvement of the local community in concept development and planning and will be fostered by area teachers and other staff from our organization. By establishing a WASH committee in the Orisunbrae Community, the project assures project implementation and maintenance have local buy-in.

Impact Goals:

1. 20% decrease in morbidity due to poor sanitation by 2025.

2. 20% decrease in mortality due to poor sanitation by 2025.

3. 20% increase in maternal child health.

Impact Goal Objectives:

1. Objective a. Have staff nurses take baseline data of morbidities linked to sanitation before the start of the program. 

1. Objective b. Collect quantifiable morbidity data on diseases linked to sanitation at the start of the program, 3 months into the program,  6 (halfway mark) months into the program,  9 months into the program,  12 months into the program, 

1. Objective c. Do a one-year follow-up to ensure systems are being maintained and monitor mortality rates due to sanitation.

2.  Objective a. Have staff nurses take baseline data of mortalities linked to sanitation before the start of the program. 

2. Objective b. Collect quantifiable mortality data on diseases linked to sanitation at the start of the program, 3 months into the program,  6 (halfway mark) months into the program,  9 months into the program,  12 months into the program, 

2. Objective c. Do a one-year follow-up to ensure systems are being maintained and monitor mortality rates due to sanitation.

3.  Objective a. Have staff nurses take baseline data of maternal and child health linked to sanitation before the start of the program. 

2. Objective b. Collect quantifiable maternal and child health data on diseases linked to sanitation at the start of the program, 3 months into the program,  6 (halfway mark) months into the program,  9 months into the program,  12 months into the program, 

2. Objective c. Do a one-year follow-up to ensure systems are being maintained and monitor maternal and child health rates due to sanitation.

Social-Ecological Model:

Individual: On an individual level the members of the Orisunbrae Community will gain practical skills and education on how to maintain personal hygiene through educational courses designed by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) taught by trained community members. The establishment of the WASH Committee provides an opportunity to learn these skills, understand the management of the project, and inform the project going forward. This skill-building contributes to essential leadership that will better support the community’s long-term success.

Interpersonal: Once sanitation practices become the social norm for this community morbidity and mortality rates should greatly improve. The classes taught by community members can also be an opportunity for community members to come together in unity to improve their overall health.

Organizational: The environment of the Orisunbrae Community will greatly improve by reducing open defecation which can be a source of illness for people who come in contact with said waste. If composting toilets are installed not only will it solve the biohazard issue of open dedication, it will also improve soil quality in the area by introducing compost into the environment.

Community: By helping to bring these facilities and sanitation practices to the community improved sanitation will become part of the Orisunbrae Community culture which can be carried on to future generations.

Public Policy: By installing clean water wells and composting waste receptacles we can greatly improve morbidity and mortality rates linked to hygiene in this community. The success of this project can prove the importance of sanitation. once the government realizes how inexpensive it is to install and maintain this system it may become regulation in every community to have a WASH program.

We will use solar-powered boar wells to help reduce fuel requirements for operation. For new borewells, the following should be included: (WASH Sector Nigeria, 2016). The annulus of the well shall be grouted to a minimum depth of five meters (5 m) in the basement and ten meters (10 m) in the sedimentary formations below the ground surface. Pumping tests should be conducted for static and dynamic water levels, yield, drawdown, pump capacity, depth of installation, and water quality parameter samples (See water quality section below). Drilling logs and pumping tests should be submitted to SMOWR/RUWASSA. The casing should be installed at least 300 mm above the ground surface and securely. The apron should include markings that detail the total depth of well (m), yield (L/s), static water level, well completion date, pump installation date, depth of the pump intake, and rating of the pump (kW). Flow meters should be installed before the storage or reticulation system is capped, and artesian wells should include a flow regulating valve.

Citation:

WASH Sector Nigerian. (2016, November). Wash Sector Nigeria Emergency Technical Guidance - Humanitarianresponse. WASH Sector Nigeria Emergency Technical Guidance. Retrieved August 7, 2022, from https://www.humanitarianrespon...

We have a staff nurse who will be the primary collector of health care data for our solution. Slum Art will also establish WASHCOMs to ensure the irrigation systems are properly running. 

WASHCOMs will collect weekly data regarding:

The functionality of water taps

Flow rates of water from taps

Number of individuals accessing the water points

Hours of the tap operation

Functionality of generator

The functionality of solar panels and inverters

WASH partners should monitor the following on a monthly basis:

Transmissibility of solar panels

Functionality of WASHCOMs

Fuel consumption for generators

Citation:

WASH Sector Nigerian. (2016, November). Wash Sector Nigeria Emergency Technical Guidance - Humanitarianresponse. WASH Sector Nigeria Emergency Technical Guidance. Retrieved August 7, 2022, from https://www.humanitarianrespon...

Slum Art is based in Lagos, Nigeria, so many of our employees are Nigerian.  However, we have co-founders in the UK and the US. One of our co-founders is originally from Brazil. Both of our volunteers are from the United States. Of our 10 employees seven identify as women and three as men. We are equal opportunity employers and employees people regardless of their gender, religion, and sexual orientation.

Slum Art Foundation is a Non-Profit Charity Organization (NPO) established in 2018 by the Nigerian Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). The foundation works to provide creative outlets, food security, education, and therapy to underserved youth living in poverty in the slums. The model is one of a non-profit, social enterprise. We currently have 10 paid program staff members, as well as local recycling collectors, and a worldwide cadre of volunteers and other supporters. Our global mission is mentoring and developing the creative talents of at-risk youth. Our aim has always been to reach out to the youth in the slums using art as a tool for social improvement and empowerment. Slum Artworks maintains a strong middle ground, ensuring that while seeking the benefits that art offers to community development, the development of art itself remains at the forefront of the work. The biggest risk factor we face at this juncture is losing the opportunity to meet our long-term goals due to a lack of funding. We have filed for US IRS 501(c)3 approval and recognition in the United States to broaden our base to allow us to foster new sponsorships, sales opportunities, and grant seeking. 

As a social enterprise-based non-profit, we at Slum Art combine reliance on donations through our website and fundraising activities with funding derived from selling our artist's original artworks (30% of revenue is dedicated to children’s education, 40% of funding benefits the P.E.T. Bottle School Project, while the remainder supports the child who created the art). Slum Art’s fundraising approach includes Social Enterprise activities. The sales of the children’s original artworks leverage their efforts to support their own participation to provide them with the recognition that they are helping to serve the larger community, thereby generating an additional cash source that supports the program at a more resilient, sustainable level than could be achieved by grantor and donor funding alone. This is a well-recognized and accepted approach for NGO management that Slum Art has been utilizing since its inception. We also enjoy a relationship of ongoing sponsorship with WRAPNow (Waste Reduction Art Project in New York City, USA)We for events and are working on agreements for US sales as well as fiscal sponsorship for future grants as we await our 501(c)3 status in the US. 

To date, projects and programs have been sustained through:

Sale of Slum Art Merchandise—85% Þ Donations—3% Þ Grant Awards—12%

Financial Summary Accounts

Slum Art has two accounts with FCMB. One account holds all money in USD, and one holds all funds in Nigerian Naira.

Debt

Slum Art has no outstanding loans or debt.

Going Concerns

Slum Art is composed of many artists and inspired volunteers; however, many of our dedicated people who are working to achieve Slum Art’s vision are just becoming familiar with Slum Art’s capacity in relation to grant, sponsorship, and marketing processes. This is a crucial time for us to receive 2022 funding so that we can gain momentum on grants, sales, and events funding as the year progresses while we have ample volunteers at the ready. We have about 10 grant and development volunteers worldwide. 

Past Funding Partners

AIG Insurance (Pending) 2022 10,000 USDS 

Bank of New York (BNY) Mellon (Pending 2022) 10,000 USDS 

World Connect 2021 Grant 5,400 USDS 

Flour Mill Nigeria 2019 Donation (Food) Over 2 million 

Stelling Bank 2019 Grant 1.5 million Naira Now $3, 200

First City Monument Bank (FCMB) 2019 Grant 2.5 million Naira 

CANON 2018 Training 20 people (196 children's art project) N/A