Sanni Akeem is an Islamic cleric and Health Champion committed to sharing the message of Allah with his Muslim community while also promoting healthy habits to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
A significant moment in his journey occurred when he helped a girl who had faced discrimination and abandonment for a long time from neighbors who believed her illness had a spiritual cause and could not be cured. Through his engagement with DRASA under the SCKAR-IDP initiative, he gained a deeper understanding that her sickness was not spiritual; what she truly needed was medical attention to help her recover and feel better.
What are some of the new skills or things you learned?
I have learned a lot because day by day, when you wake up in the morning, you may see strange things, so once you see something strange, you start to experience new things. I have been educating some children, but since engaging with DRASA, I have learned some new things that I use in engaging the younger and the older ones.
How confident do you feel now about teaching others how to prevent the spread of diseases?
I have full confidence to address my people. Ever since, I have been the one giving lectures, and people are still looking forward to me giving them more lectures. It is like an assignment for us as imams or alfas (religious leaders) because we are the nearest to the people, to the children, and to the people in the community. It gives us the chance to deliver the message of DRASA to them.
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?
One needs to be confident about sharing health information. As an imam, it might be that your neighbour is a Christian, but you won’t say anything because you are an imam; nothing about them concerns you. It is important that as an imam, you allow it to concern you, because even though the affected person is a Christian, sickness does not care if one is a Muslim or a Christian or a traditionalist. This is why we must confidently share health information with anybody, regardless of religion, gender, or age group because nobody knows it all in this life.
I have many examples I can share, but the earliest I remember is about a girl in my compound who has been unable to walk for about 3 to 4 years. People have called her a witch, a prostitute, and so many other names to the point of using a broom to beat her. When I looked at the girl’s situation, I felt sad that this girl is not all these names that they are calling her; it’s just that her parents have not taken care of her health well. Fortunately, there was an ongoing medical outreach that was being organised at the health centre, and I advised her parents to take her there for treatment. After some time of treatment, she got well and started walking again. Ever since that incident, anytime she sees me, she always greets and thanks me.
This made me happy and feeling rest assured that the girl has a bright future ahead of her. The people that once used to call her names have also stopped.
What changes have you noticed around you since you started sharing what you learned?
There are so many changes that have occurred ever since and I have many examples to give because my neighborhood is very dirty. Before now, they used to throw their human waste into the gutter or wrap them into nylons. But ever since I started to enforce it on them to stop and also told them the implications of their actions, many of them have changed their behaviour. Many of them that might want to do it are even scared because they have been told by other neighbors that I won’t take such behavior from them. Many of them think I work for the council and am being paid by the council to watch their actions, they think that my reason for being so dedicated is because the government council is paying me for it. So you can see that my influence and role as a Health Champion has made them think that I am working for the government, and they are scared to do anything wrong.
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?
The challenges are so many. Sometimes, when I try to correct them to do the right thing, they threaten me. Some of them throw broken bottles to threaten me and so many other things. But I still stand strong because I am determined that my generation should not see something bad and keep quiet about it. I also try to be very patient with them. There is a saying that people are only ignorant about things that they do not understand. I have people who also back me up and support me.
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?
For me, I want to continue to raise awareness about health in my community because some of these people who practice unhealthy health behaviors do not understand the effect of their behaviors. I would also like to see that my community becomes neat like some high brow areas in Lagos that people will use as good example to other communities. I would also like to see that children who live in this area hold high positional powers in government so that they too can use their influence in improving the community.
Religious leaders play a significant role in combating infectious diseases. Their influence on the faithful is extensive and can significantly enhance awareness about and prevention of the spread of these diseases. The SCKaR-IDP initiative successfully engaged a diverse audience, which was essential for us to achieve our desired impact.
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