Children in Ijora-Badia and Ago-Egun communities in Lagos are growing up amid displacement, poverty and unhealthy living conditions, with many lacking access to shelter, clean water, sanitation, healthcare and adequate nutrition. Iyanuoluwa Abiola reports
Five-year-old Darasimi should be spending his days chasing footballs across sandy paths and laughing with other children in his neighbourhood.
Instead, his early years have been shaped by displacement, recurring illness and harsh living conditions after his family lost their home to demolition in a waterfront settlement in Gangare, Ijora-Badia, a densely populated community within the Apapa-Iganmu Local Council Development Area of Lagos.
For months, Darasimi, his siblings and their mother, Esther, moved from one shop to another, seeking temporary shelter wherever they could find space to sleep.
The homelessness exposed the children to cold nights, heavy rains, and conditions that quickly took a toll on their health.
