Description:

Join the Program of African Studies for our weekly lunch and lecture.

Title: Access to Health from the Ground Up: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Health and Human Rights in Lagos

Speakers: Juliet Sorensen, Director, Bluhm Legal Clinic, Northwestern and Elise Meyer, Clinical Fellow, Bluhm Legal Clinic, Northwestern

Abstract: Over 67% of Lagosians live in informal settlements characterized by a lack of basic public services such as sewage, water, trash collection, roads, or electricity. Without health clinics or access to emergency services, these Lagosians are subject to significantly adverse health conditions. State and federal governments in Nigeria have enacted laws and policies aimed at addressing the resulting health problems; however, a number of social determinants limit access and prevent residents of informal settlements from making use of these government health services. In response, the Northwestern Access to Health Project (“ATH”), an interdisciplinary global community health partnership, has partnered with the Justice & Empowerment Initiative, a Nigerian NGO, and the Nigerian Federation of Slums and Informal Settlements to build a sustainable, capacity-building health literacy and access project aimed to improve health outcomes for poor and marginalized communities in Lagos. Nearly two years after the commencement of the assessment by ATH, this presentation provides an overview and analysis of the project.