Many times, we talk about health, and we leave out markets. Yet the centrality of the market in people’s livelihoods, safety, health and welfare is paramount. For instance, if the market is dirty, fries will emerge, contaminate some of the food items sold in the market. When such contaminated products like beef, vegetables and raw fruits are consumed, this leads to diseases like diarrhea, among other infections.
During the July-August 2021 AFROHUN Uganda field attachment, our students namely; John Mulo Mugwanya and Lillian Tuhaise selected Nakulabye food market located in Lubaga Division, Wakiso district as the One Health approach center of focus. The duo focused on the One Health challenges that would compromise the quality of food in the market.
With reported challenges of poor sanitation and hygiene, water logging, indiscriminate littering and accumulation of garbage, which was only collected once a week, the duo with other market stakeholders specified that sanitation was greatly responsible for illnesses affecting many people in Kampala and Nakulabye as a community. The issue of sanitation is a significant determinant of good health outcomes in a community. It is important to note that a clean environment safeguards us from several deadly diseases such as cholera, dysentery, diarrhea and typhoid. The causes of poor sanitation mainly stem from the level of knowledge, attitudes and practices of the people.
Lack of information being the biggest cause of poor sanitation; by giving people the right information and products to promote healthy sanitation practices, the quality of life for millions of people can be vastly improved. To achieve this, the One Health Institute under AFROHUN at Makerere University sends out students to communities for their learning and service to community. Poor sanitation has emerged as one of the most common and daily burden in the communities. Students work with community members to help provide knowledge that could literally change the lives of people. This is done through the field attachments that the One Health Institute uses as one of the training approaches.
“When waste is littered in the market, it attracts flies. These flies end up on peoples’ food carrying with them disease causing germs. When the people eat this food, they are exposed to various diseases like diarrhea, dysentery and cholera. The water that logs in the market most especially during the rainy season may lead to the breeding of mosquitoes which bite people, exposing them to malaria. This water sometimes stinks which creates an unconducive environment for the vendors and customers,” Tuhaise said.
When the needs assessment was conducted in the food market, the data obtained indicated that the hygiene was in a terrible state, demonstrated by the many recurrent outbreaks of cholera in the market.
“From the findings of the needs assessment, it was affirmed that the vendors seem detached from the hygienic cause and all the responsibility of such oversight weighs on the city leadership. It was also noted that the market is challenged by substandard preparations of food using polythene bags, discarded sacks and consumption of leftover food.” Mugwanya mentioned.
In addition, other respondents substantiated that the water used in the market is sometimes unsafe because drawn from a well in Kikoni (a slum settlement) near Makerere Kavule church, where cows drink from, leaving dirt in it. The same well is being used to wash motorcycles, hence a very calamitous factor to the people who use such water to cook food in the market.
In their intervention, Mugwanya and Tuhaise conducted a One Health Sensitization campaign on poor sanitation in Nakulabye market. Health risks are often exacerbated by poor sanitation and hygiene practices and many preventable health problems and diseases can be avoided with a little education and the right environment and products such as clean water, soap and water filters. The community was educated and guided on the application of sanitation rules which were drafted on manila placards and pinned in different corners of the market by the One Health students.
The students also initiated and facilitated the use of social media to promote sanitation in the market. They created Nakulabye Market Sanitation Facebook page and WhatsApp group as well as training the publicity personnel on how to use these platforms. In the same spirit, the duo composed a short poem dubbed ‘One Health’ which read:
“One Health; together, we are healthy. In health, we are one. Animal health, Human health, Environmental health, is the one life. Sanitation is health, but Sanitation is lacking. Let’s fight together to be healthy.”
The Chairperson of Nakulabye Market Traders, Mr. Richard Nsubuga commended the One Health students for their efforts to improve the sanitation of the market. He thanked Makerere University and AFROHUN for helping communities through One Health student’s field attachments.
“Our people needed sensitization on sanitation and hygiene and the possible dangers of poor sanitation. This is what the students have done. Since they came here, a lot has changed. The vendors have come to realize that it’s everybody’s initiative to prevent the spread of diseases, through proper sanitation. They have taught us well, and we shall use the acquired knowledge to sustain community cleanliness.” Mr. Nsubuga remarked.
One of the vendors at Nakulabye Market, Mr. Emmanuel Kasolo disclosed that the coming of the One Health students to their market had a great impact to the community and helped the market leaders to amplify their concerns on sanitation and good hygiene. He said, “When people hear voices from other people they are not used to, they tend to listen more. When they hear these voices coming from their children whom they send to school, it is easier to take heed. This community outreach has made us come closer to the University.”
The students were grateful to One Health Institute under AFROHUN for the skills and experience they attained from the One Health field attachment and having been given the opportunity to give back to their community. The students reported that they attained communication, community mobilization and problem-solving skills. They also learned to budget using limited resources.