Alimosho: HELWEI partners CI, SSNC on WASH campaign, links market sanitation to food security - NaijaAgroNet

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The Healthy Living and Women Empowerment Initiative (HELWEI), in collaboration with Consumers International and the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SSNC), has launched a campaign to address poor water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) in traditional markets, with a specific focus on Alimosho Local Government Area (LGA) in Lagos State, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The campaign, themed "Kick Dirt, Hug Life!", links market hygiene directly to food safety and nutrition, highlighting the urgent need for targeted interventions to protect public health.

The initiative comes as Nigeria commemorates Green Action Week 2025, which has the theme “Sharing Community".


According to HELWEI Executive Director, Mrs. Eberechukwu Okey-Onyema, Nigeria faces significant WASH challenges, with only 17 per cent of the population having access to basic WASH services.


The situation, she said, is even more dire in public markets, where only 4 per cent have basic water and sanitation infrastructure, stressing that lack of infrastructure, compounded by widespread indiscriminate waste disposal and an absence of proper drainage, fuels foodborne illnesses like cholera, typhoid, and diarrhea.


HELWEI's campaign is a response to this crisis, particularly in Alimosho LGA, which is one of West Africa's largest local governments by population.


The campaign is not just about infrastructure; it also targets behavioral change through community-based advocacy and dialogue.


As said by HELWEI Executive Director, this approach recognizes that poor sanitation in food environments is a key driver of malnutrition.

NaijaAgroNet gathered that data from the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) 2023 showed that 40 per cent of Nigerian children under five are stunted.


In Lagos State, it was also gathered that stunting affects 17.3 per cent of children under five, with the Lagos State Reproductive Health Indicator Survey (LARCHIS) 2022, painting a gloomier picture at 39.4%.


The "Kick Dirt, Hug Life!" campaign, the organisers said, reinforced that "Every Clean Market Saves a Life and Every Safe Environment Feeds a Future".

Further, they said, it aims to achieve several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Goal 2 (Zero Hunger) and Goal 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) by improving market hygiene and ensuring nutrition-sensitive WASH interventions.

HELWEI, therefore, called on all stakeholders, including the government, civil society, and market authorities, to increase financing for WASH infrastructure and implement robust behavior change communication strategies to protect the food supply chain and public health.

Remmy Nweke/DoP