Clean Cooking Awareness Brings Healthier Living to Galadimawa Community, Abuja

On 21 November 2025, residents of the Galadimawa community in Abuja gathered at LEA Primary School, Galadimawa, for a rights-based community sensitization programme focused on clean cooking solutions. The awareness activity targeted vulnerable households in communities prone to exploitation, trafficking, and other forms of abuse, recognizing that poverty, health risks, and time burdens often heighten exposure to human rights violations, particularly for women and children.

The sensitization emphasized clean cooking as a human rights and protection issue, linking access to safe household energy with the rights to health, dignity, and wellbeing. Community members, especially women who rely heavily on firewood and charcoal, learned about the harmful effects of smoke from traditional cooking methods and how these risks disproportionately affect women’s lungs, children’s growth, and overall family stability. Over 80 households were reached with practical information on how clean cooking can reduce illness, ease daily burdens, save time, and strengthen household resilience.

The Hakimi of Galadimawa welcomed participants in local languages, reinforcing inclusion, participation, and community ownership, key principles of a human rights–based approach. Practical demonstrations of the Happy Stove followed, with experts explaining its safe use, maintenance, and ability to significantly reduce harmful smoke. A health professional further highlighted the long-term health implications of indoor air pollution, underscoring how preventable illnesses can deepen vulnerability and economic hardship in already at-risk communities.

To support access and encourage adoption, 18 community members received clean cooking stoves through a raffle draw, offering immediate relief and hope to families who would otherwise struggle to afford safer alternatives. The event concluded with appreciation from community leaders, shared refreshments, and group photographs that reflected collective commitment to healthier, safer homes.

Overall, the sensitization strengthened community awareness, self-reliance, and informed choice, empowering women and families to make decisions that protect their health and dignity. By addressing everyday risks that compound vulnerability, the Galadimawa community described the initiative as a meaningful step toward resilient households, reduced exposure to abuse and exploitation, and a more rights-affirming future.