Promoting Inclusive WASH: Phase 4 – Leave No One Behind! Training Empowers Humanitarian Actors in Adamawa 

A two-day Inclusive WASH training under the Phase 4 – Leave No One Behind! project was held from June 25 to 26, 2025, in Yola, Adamawa State. Organized by CBM International Nigeria in collaboration with the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD), the training aimed to strengthen the inclusion of marginalized groups in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programs. 

The training brought together key actors in the WASH sector, including programme managers and executive directors from humanitarian organizations working in Adamawa State. 

The training emphasized the uptake of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC)  guidelines on the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action, particularly in WASH. Participants engaged in sessions that focused on the concept of disability, understanding inclusive humanitarian action, accessibility, universal design, and reasonable accommodation in the WASH context; the must-do-actions and twin-track approach, the inclusive project cycle, and inclusive community engagement and accountability to affected populations. Through interactive sessions, group work, exercises, and real-life case scenarios, participants reflected on existing gaps in WASH service delivery and committed to exploring ways to make WASH programs more inclusive. 

One participant, the co-lead of the Adamawa WASH sector, remarked:

“This training has broadened my understanding on disability inclusion and how we have been excluding people in programming even when we did not intend it.”

At the end of the training, each participant developed an inclusive action plan tailored to their organization. CBM International staff will provide follow-up support to ensure the plans are implemented effectively.

Text by Karagama Ishaku, CBM, Nigeria