I was born in Mushin, a densely populated yet underserved area of Lagos, Nigeria. During my birth, my mother spent over six hours in labour at “Faith Home,” a modest healthcare centre run by the church my parents attended. Faith Home was not a traditional hospital but a grassroots effort by the community to address the gaps in maternal healthcare. For those unable to afford formal medical services, Faith Home became a lifeline, relying on the dedication of women from the church who volunteered their time and energy despite having little to no medical training. They provided care, leaning on prayer and communal strength to support one another through the challenges of childbirth and maternal health.
Every Thursday, these women gather for prayer and community at the church, which sits adjacent to Faith Home. After prayer, they convene to offer informal healthcare to one another, with support from a visiting doctor who only attends once a week and typically for emergency cases. In these gatherings, faith and solidarity work hand-in-hand, forming a vital, community-driven network of care. Through this collaborative effort, the church women address the stark disparities in maternal healthcare that disproportionately impact low-income women in Nigeria. Their organising is an act of resilience and a form of mutual aid, standing in for a healthcare system that too often fails to protect mothers and infants.
Titled “Faith Home,” my project seeks to illuminate the power of these faith-based, communal healthcare initiatives and the critical role they play in addressing maternal health inequality in Nigeria. Through photographs, personal stories, and documenting the encounter of this community-organised spaces, “Faith Home” positions these initiatives within the broader struggle for equitable maternal care. This project recognizes the collective effort of these women not only as a source of healthcare but as an assertion of dignity and care in a society where many are left without adequate support.
Ultimately, “Faith Home” is an homage to these women and their community, capturing the ways they build networks of care and solidarity to address life-or-death needs. It challenges conventional healthcare narratives, highlighting the vital role of communal organising and the resilience of marginalised communities by caring for one another.
