Meet Arabiatou Badjie, a vibrant changemaker from the African Youth Leadership Hub – Gambia Chapter. In March 2024, she participated in the “Good Nutrition Starts with Me” training, organized by the Africa Catalyzing Action for Nutrition (AfriCAN) and National Nutrition Agency (NaNA), determined to make a difference. Inspired by what she learned, Arabiatou committed to helping her family embrace healthier habits, starting by encouraging her brother’s wife to hold off on complementary foods for her young baby until the recommended age of six months and reducing sugar intake at home.
Fast forward a few months, and Arabiatou’s efforts were already bearing fruit. She proudly shared that her nephew was exclusively breastfed for the first six months, giving him the best start in life. Furthermore, her family adopted better hygiene routines, by replacing shared wash basins with individual handwashing. Together with her sister-in-law, Arabiatou started a small backyard garden, encouraging her family to consume homegrown vegetables and legumes, and even to cut back on artificial seasonings in their meals. Her efforts have brought her family closer to better nutrition and a healthier lifestyle.
Arabiatou’s passion for promoting good nutrition and healthy practices was extended beyond her family home, to her workplace, the Agro-Incubation Hub, where she promotes healthy eating habits during their business training sessions with farmers. She also joined an organisation called Njaboute Foundation, which focuses on issues related to family, sexual and reproductive health, as well as communicable and non-communicable diseases. The foundation is working on developing an app that will feature all its areas of focus, making educational resources accessible to all. Drawing from her experience, Arabiatou is encouraging the foundation to expand its focus to include nutrition and to empower individuals and communities to improve their health, nutrition and overall well-being.
Arabiatou is currently pursuing entrepreneurship opportunities, including the production of moringa, neem, and honey soap. Although sourcing materials remains a challenge, she has begun processing with available resources and intends to train others, particularly women and girls.
