Community Pot has officially launched the Nutrition Support Centre (NSC) in Lagos State, building on the success of its first centre in Ibadan, which opened in November 2024.
The Lagos launch, which also marked Community Pot’s third anniversary on May 27, 2025, is another big step in the fight to end toddler malnutrition, especially in underserved and peri-urban communities.
Speaking during the virtual event themed “Bridging Nutrition Gaps in Peri-Urban Communities,” Founder, Community Pot, Mrs. Oluwakemi Jeje, shared stories of young lives lost to malnutrition. She reminded everyone why early intervention is critical.
“We will never know the cost as a nation, as a people, the losses that we continue to incur because toddlers, our children, do not find the nutrition and minerals they need to adequately thrive and become all that they’re supposed to be.”
Mrs. Jeje explained that many of these deaths could have been avoided if mothers had received the right support earlier. “Some children died before reaching six months due to poor maternal nutrition during pregnancy. Many mothers do not visit hospitals until it’s already critical, and by then, complications have set in.”
The Nutrition Support Centre (NSC) is Community Pot’s practical solution to this urgent issue. The centre works by connecting hospitals to local communities—bringing nutrition education, affordable healthy food, and behaviour change closer to the people.
“Eradicating malnutrition may still be a long stretch, but we have to protect our children in their most vulnerable states, and their moms during the preparatory stages of motherhood and pregnancy,” Jeje added.
She also talked about the link between poverty and malnutrition. Many families are willing to help their children, but simply can’t afford to. That’s why the NSC includes a program to train local women as ‘nutripreneurs’.
“As part of its solution, the NSC trains ‘nutripreneurs’; women from the community who are empowered to earn a living while promoting nutrition. Empowering women is key to ensuring that no child goes hungry.”
The virtual launch brought together important voices from both government and private sectors. Experts from the fields of nutrition, finance, and agriculture joined in, discussing the need for long-term support, investment, and partnership.
Country Manager of the SUN Business Network, Tomisin Odunmbaku, said nutrition programs must fit into the government’s current priorities to receive the support they need. “For any program to get the right funding, it must align with what the government is interested in at that time. Funders want real change, they want to know the impact their money will make.”
He also stressed the importance of supporting local food producers. “Training local food processors to produce fortified, affordable foods” is better than depending only on imported products, he noted.
Yonodu Okeugo, from VFD Microfinance Bank, urged people to stop seeing nutrition as just charity or CSR. “Funders want a proven track record. We need to start positioning nutrition as a viable area for investment, not just charity.”
Also speaking, Head of Women in Agriculture and Nutrition at the Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Justina Balogun, talked about the value of teamwork and funding partnerships. “Cross-sector collaboration allows different partners to combine efforts and resources for greater, more sustainable impact,” she said.
Since it began in 2022, Community Pot has served over 500 children across Nigeria with specially prepared protein-rich meals. With the launch of NSC Lagos, the organization is taking its impact further—reaching more children, supporting more mothers, and building a healthier Nigeria.
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