Information is key to the transformation of any society. Ayodele Temidayo, a Health Champion at Somolu local government, has gained courage since the Strengthening Community Knowledge and Response on Infectious Disease Prevention (SCKaR-IDP) project in standing her ground and ensuring to do the right thing despite facing opposition from her neighbors.
In her words, “Whenever I try to correct them, they start to ask me, ‘What’s your own? Are you the landlady?’ But that did not stop me from doing what was right. I was the one who reported them to the authorities. They were very surprised but they later thanked me.”
What are some of the new skills or things you learned?
I learned about infectious disease transmission, although I did not really know how it is being transmitted but by reason of this program, I was able to understand that it can be transmitted from an infected person to a non-infected person. And I got to know that it can be transmitted in two ways—seen and unseen. And we were taught about the ones that can be seen. Let’s use this monkeypox as an example. if someone who has it on his skin already has contact with another person either through sweat or sharing of cutlery, the other person who has not had it before can contact it, also through sexual contact too. I learned about the non-physical or unseen. We can get diseases from droplets on surfaces; you might not even know that germs are there, like door handles that have been touched by someone who is infected.
How confident do you feel now about teaching others how to prevent the spread of diseases?
Before, I knew about infectious diseases but I did not really know how to curb them. When people put their dustbins anywhere and rats come to scatter it, I will tell myself that it is none of my business since they put it at their doorstep. But when I came to know about Lassa fever and the way it is being transmitted, my confidence increased and I started to tell people the importance of clean environments. Some of them ask how I am so sure of what I usually say, that is when I cite examples for them and they now start to believe me.
Can you share a specific example of something you did in your community to spread the word about staying healthy after you became a Health Champion?
Yes, yes. During the period when cholera was very high in the community, our septic tank got filled up and they [community members] refused to make an effort so we could clear it out so I went to report the entire compound to the environmental health officers, wole wole. They came to lock our house and we all slept outside till they opened it the next day. I did not even act like I was the one who reported because I had been complaining and none of them complied. It was after they cleared the septic tank that I now reported [to neighbors in the compound] that I was the one who reported them to the authorities. They were very surprised but they later thanked me.
In my association [Ladystars Hairdressing], although I am a floor member, they picked me because I am young and a bit educated and they asked me to represent the person they had picked earlier. They asked me to go get the knowledge and then give them feedback. Although where we have our meetings is not a dirty area, I persuaded them to take some money from the association’s pocket to buy these Veronica buckets, which we placed at the entrance of our meeting venue, so I ensure that as the members come in they wash their hands. I also share the things I learned with them about taking care of our health, Lassa fever, and various diseases and how we can prevent them. Although I am not with them in their various houses, at the meeting venue I make sure they wash their hands before the meeting and after the meeting, and till now we still do it.
Another one is relating to where I live. I stay in a face me I slap you* compound but it is a bit modernized. We have bachelors and students from the schools around us that live in the compound but many of them do not even know how to manage their waste. Before, if I’m sweeping the compound and I discover that the breeze or rats have scattered their dustbin and moved it to my doorstep, I just use a broom to pack it back to their doorstep and we used to have a lot of rats in the compound before. But I came to understand that the dustbin and food remnants are what attract those rats because anytime the place is clean you will not see any rats. So I went to my landlady—she is a neat person and is very understanding— complained to her about the dirtiness and brought up the idea of buying waste bins. Surprisingly the tenants cooperated and we all contributed money to get two big waste bins with covers. Since that time, it has reduced the number of rats in our environment and littering of refuse is now a thing of the past.
Also, in washing hands, too. I have a cousin who stays with me. She cannot do anything without washing her hands first. Even when there was a sensitization about cholera in her school she came home to tell me, “Aunty, they came to my school and talked about washing our hands the way you taught me.” Now it is even a part of my habit. Before, if I buy puff puff*, I will be picking it with my unwashed hand to eat, but now, even if I buy puff puff I do not eat it till I find a place to wash my hands. So, washing of hands is a habit for me and the people around me.
This program [SCKaR-IDP] has really helped me because now people are looking up to me and whenever I go to meetings they are always waiting for any new information I have to share.
What challenges have you faced while trying to use what you learned in the community and how did you handle these challenges that made reception easier?
There have been challenges, especially with those students living in my compound. Whenever I try to correct them, they start to ask me, “What is your own?” Are you the landlady?” Before, I wanted to try to make these changes on my own, but after speaking to the landlady, she took charge of any complaint I made, and these students had no choice but to change.
Also, when they [environmental health officers] locked our house during the septic tank issue, I am very glad they were not aware at the initial stage because they might have tried to harm me out of anger. Even after they found out, some of them threatened to arrest me, but the landlady stepped in., After everything, they appreciated it. Now, they are always monitoring the septic tank to check if it is full because they are scared of the issue repeating itself.
In the future, what role would you like to play in keeping your community safe and what would you like to see differently in your community when it comes to staying healthy?
In the future, I would like to see the environment kept very clean first because of most of these diseases we don’t even know where they are coming from. I remember when I was in school they would tell us that whatever you throw into the environment would come back to you. Some people pour their fecal matter into the drainage and when it washes away into water bodies, the fish will eat them and we would still buy the fish from the market to cook and people do not know. Those that block the drainage with their dirt, when flooding comes, their rooms will be flooded too. So whatever you throw into the environment will come back to you. I want us to throw good things into the environment so we receive good things back from it. Let us treat the environment in a friendly manner.
Temidayo’s story highlights how community behaviors contribute to climate change and its impact on human health. Promoting environmental friendliness is essential to reducing these risks. Through the SCKaR-IDP project, we trained 2,089 community members in Somolu and Ajeromi-Ifelodun Local Government Areas of Lagos State as Health Champions. This initiative helped communities understand the connection between the environment and the spread of infectious diseases.
Watch to see how it went.
*Puff puff: a traditional West African snack, particularly popular in Nigeria, consisting of deep-fried dough balls made from a simple mixture of flour, sugar, yeast, and water.
* Wole-wole: Environmental Health Officer
*Face me I slap you: Shared apartment
