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By Chinenye Anuforo
The Rector Cares Foundation has partnered with Lumiscape Foundation and the International Water Association Young Water Professionals Nigeria (IWA-YWP Nigeria) to launch the second edition of its annual Water Essay Competition, aimed at promoting awareness and innovative thinking around water-related challenges among young Nigerians.
The competition, tagged Water Essay Competition 2.0, invites SS1 and SS2 students from secondary schools across Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti and Ondo States to submit essays on the theme, ‘Water-Related Diseases: Prevention Strategies Through Community Education’.
The initiative builds on the success of its maiden 2024 edition, themed ‘Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)’, which attracted over 100 entries from students in public and private secondary schools across Lagos State.
This year’s edition marks a significant expansion, extending participation to all six South-West states as part of the Foundation’s broader commitment to encouraging young people to engage critically with Nigeria’s persistent water and sanitation challenges.
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Speaking on the competition, Founder of Rector Cares Foundation, Onyedikachi Erete, said the encouraging response recorded during the maiden edition inspired the decision to broaden the scope of participation.
“The response we received in 2024 showed us just how critical it is to engage the youth in the water crisis. This second edition is our commitment to reaching more of them, and this time across all six South-West states. We are creating a genuine space for their ideas to be heard, and believe the students who compete today are the aware leaders Nigeria needs tomorrow,” Erete said.
According to him, the competition is designed to provide students with an opportunity to examine the connection between water-borne diseases and community education while developing practical and locally relevant prevention strategies.
Erete noted that the selected theme was intentionally chosen to stimulate original and evidence-based thinking among participants, encouraging them to move beyond conventional responses and propose sustainable solutions to water-related health concerns.
For the first time since its inception, the competition introduces a three-tier prize structure, with the top three finalists set to share prizes valued at N1 million.
The prize package includes laptops, internship opportunities and other incentives aimed at supporting the educational and career aspirations of the winners.
As part of the partnership arrangements, Lumiscape Foundation will sponsor the Girl Child Winner(s), while IWA-YWP Nigeria will provide free membership opportunities to the first six outstanding participants.
Rector Cares Foundation, a non-profit organisation, focuses on improving access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene across Nigeria. Through various water projects and educational interventions, the organisation has collaborated with communities and schools in several states to promote sustainable solutions for water security and public health.
