Ajegunle-Ikorodu Community located in Kosofe Local Government area in Lagos State, Nigeria, is home to about 18,000 residents, majority of whom are Yoruba-speaking. The Communty has a diverse population with people from different ethic and religious backgrounds living together, most of them youths with about 50% less than 30 years old.
Given the rate of population and urban growth in Lagos, and the ease of entry into informal communites such as Ajegunle- Ikorodu, the population of the neighborhood is projected to double simultaneously alongside the population of Lagos State which is already envisaged to reach 80 million by 2100.
About 80% of the residents in the Community are employed in the informal sector. Majority of them earn their livelihoods as artisans, petty traders, hair stylists, food vendors, fashion designers, retailers and dry cleaners, all operating at micro scale. As common in similar communities, the neighborhood is made up of small retail shops, home-based enterprises and micro food businesses, which increased during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown as a coping strategy for those who could not go out of the Community in search of work.
In Ajegunle-Ikorodu Community, surrounded by the Ogun River to the North and swamplands to the East and South, water poverty is a pressing challenge in the Community. Many of the residents lack access to adequate (affordable, accessible and of good quality) water in the Community. Though not adequate, residents have access to sanitation facilities at the household level. However, there is no public toilet in the Community, hence there are cases of open defecation in some outlying areas. The power supply in the community is erratic, as only two streets have transformers. There is only one street light and telecommunicaton mast in the Community.
Summarized, the Ajegunle-Ikorodu Community lacks the basic hygiene expected in line with the SDGs, the people still drink not really pure healthy water and live in an area that is contaminated due to open flood and dirt environment.
As a first step, we want to install a water treatment facility which will supply up to 150,000l clean and safe drinking water per day to the Community.
With your help, these plans can become reality.
Goal is to make enough clean and safe drinking water accessible for everyone in Ajegunle-Ikorodu Community.
For further information please keep in touch.