Burkina Faso: WSA partnership director Ms Juanita During dies at 41

Juanita During speaking at an MDG summit in the UK in 2010. Photo: Justin Tallis/Bond

Ms Juanita During, the Director of Partnership, Advocacy and Communications at Water and Sanitation for Africa (WSA) in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, died on 16 August after a brief illness.

A Nigerian national, Ms During was head of governance at WaterAid in Nigeria before she was posted to WSA (formerly known as CREPA). Before that, she worked for UNICEF Nigeria for seven years.

Ms During served on the Nigerian government’s high level inter-ministerial committee on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This body was responsible for leading and co-ordinating the preparation of the country’s 2010 report for the UN MDG summit.

Between 1995 and 1999, she worked with consulting firm Afri-Projects Consortium, which at that time managed the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) programme. This multisectoral programme included the national rural and urban water supply programmes.

Ms During has contributed to the Guardian’s Poverty Development Blog. Her last post was “Just building a million latrines won’t solve Africa’s sanitation crisis“. In March 2012, she and Head of Communications Yacine Traoré gave a presentation on WSA at the introduction ceremony of the new organisation at the 6th World Water Forum in Marseilles.

Junita During is survived by two brothers and two sisters. Her funeral will be held in Lagos, Nigeria, during the coming week.

Source: Leadership / allAfrica.com, 17 Aug 2012