Like many countries in West Africa, Nigeria faces the dual challenges of poverty and food insecurity. Not content to let their families fall into these traps, women in Nigeria are taking charge to pull their families out of poverty and are investing in their family’s health through best nutrition practices.
Before her husband’s death, Hajia Rabi Garba did not need to worry about her family’s financial needs. After he passed away, Garba was left to provide for herself and six children. As much as she tried, she could not meet the needs of her children or the orphans under her care. Her entrepreneurial efforts yielded little income, and food for her family was scarce.
Garba was among the parents who took livelihood and nutrition training in Sokoto State provided by the USAID Maximizing Agricultural Revenue and Key Enterprises in Targeted States (MARKETS) project. She learned how to start and sustain a business, add value to it, increase her savings, grow nutritious crops, diversify her family’s diet, make improved nutritional choices on a limited budget, and raise small livestock to supplement her family’s diet and income. She also learned the benefits of improved hygiene and exclusive breastfeeding.