Logos Circle Sokoto Meetup #1, August 2026
Date: 29th August, 2026
Location: Sokoto, Nigeria
Registered on Luma: 10
Attended: 10 participants (0 return attendees first Circle meetup)
Languages: English, Hausa, Nupe
Participants
We had 10 people show up for our first meetup in Sokoto. Everyone who registered came through. which was nice.
Attendees came from different backgrounds:
• Business owners
• Nurses
• Teachers
• Digital entrepreneur
• Crypto enthusiasts
Most people were interested in health issues, sanitation, and grass root education.
Topics Discussed
Introduction to Logos
I explained what Logos is about, its mission and vision, and how civic participation and collective action can help communities address challenges together. We also discussed blockchain and decentralization, and how these ideas can support more open, community-driven approaches to solving local problems.
I introduced the concept of winnable issues starting small with things we can actually achieve and measure, rather than trying to solve every problem at once.
People were happy to finally have a space where they could openly talk about the problems affecting their communities and explore practical ways to take action together
Health Education
Key Points & Insights
This was the main issue we identified: many people in our communities delay seeking medical care until their condition becomes critical or life-threatening. They often ignore early symptoms because of cultural beliefs, lack of awareness, or fear of the cost of treatment.
We talked about simple, everyday health and hygiene practices that can prevent bigger health problems. These include exclusive breastfeeding, regular handwashing with soap, brushing twice a day, drinking clean and safe water, and proper food handling, among others.
The discussion showed that majority of the health challenges in our communities can be reduced through simple preventive practices, increased awareness, and consistent health education.
Challenges:
• People wait too long before going to the hospital
• Hospital bills scare people off
• Many don’t know what early warning signs look like
• Some wrong beliefs about basic health practices
Solutions, ideas, or proposals:
• Go to communities and do health talks
• Clear up wrong beliefs about common sicknesses
• Push exclusive breastfeeding and handwashing
• Print simple health flyers in Hausa and Nupe so people can actually read and understand
• Give out hygiene kits like soap, sanitary pads, toothbrushes, mosquito nets to families that need them
Action Items / Next Steps
• Put together simple health education content for our outreach
• Get flyers printed in Hausa and Nupe
• Source hygiene kits (soap, pads, toothbrushes, toothpaste, nets)
• Reach out to community and religious leaders who can help spread the word
• Link up with local healthcare workers who can join the sessions
Sanitation and Waste Disposal
Key Points & Insights
Bus stops and residential areas are dirty. Flies and mosquitoes everywhere. The group suggested mapping out the worst spots and organizing clean-ups. Also talked about getting dustbins placed around town and fumigation to deal with the mosquitoes.
Challenges:
• No proper waste disposal at bus stops and residential areas
• No public dustbins anywhere
• Mosquitoes and flies breeding all over
• No one organizes clean-ups
Solutions, ideas, or proposals:
• Map out clean up spots
• Put dustbins at bus stops and markets
• Organize community clean-up days
• Fumigate high-risk areas
• Give out mosquito nets
Action Items / Next Steps
• Map out spots with volunteers
• Check how much dustbins would cost
• Plan our first clean-up day
• Find partners who can help with fumigation and nets
Roadside Food Vendors
Key Points & Insights
Vendors handle food with dirty hands. No clean water at their spots either. The group proposed going vendor to vendor to talk about food safety and handling
Challenges:
• Vendors not washing hands before handling food
• No clean water at vending points
• Low awareness of basic food safety practices
Solutions, ideas, or proposals:
• Go vendor to vendor to educate them
• Give out basic hygiene kits - hand sanitizer, gloves, water containers
• Put up simple reminders at vending points
Action Items / Next Steps
• Write a short guide on what to say during vendor visits
• Try a pilot round of vendor visits
• Keep track of who we’ve reached
Winnable Issues Update
Defined winnable issue: Two candidates on the table
Candidates still being considered:
Health Education & Outreach: Improving healthy Living behavior and hygiene practices, through education sessions, local-language flyers, and hygiene kit distribution (soap, sanitary pads, toothbrushes, mosquito nets)
Clean-Up Campaigns: tackling mapped sanitation hotspots through clean-up days, dustbin provision, fumigation, and mosquito net distribution
Updates outside the Circle meeting: none yet
Blockers faced: none yet, still at the deciding stage
Planned follow-up actions:
• The Circle will hold a decision online meeting to select and finalize one winnable issue from the two
• Once selected, responsibilities will be shared based on each member’s skills and availability
• Action leads will be assigned for key areas:
o Community outreach and stakeholder engagement
o Logistics and material sourcing
o Documentation and reporting
o Volunteer coordination
What We Learned
What We Learned
Most of our winnable issues revolved around healthy living and education because health concerns came up repeatedly, from poor health seeking behavior and hygiene to sanitation and food safety. We realized there are simple things we can start doing at the community level that can make a real difference.
Other concerns included digital literacy, employability, and lack of opportunities for young people. We agreed that we cannot tackle everything at once, so we need to start small with issues we can actually achieve and measure, then gradually take on others as the Circle grows.
Things that worked well:
• Everyone showed up
• People spoke freely and openly
• Mix of backgrounds made the conversation richer
Areas for improvement:
• Definitely need more time for discussion next time
• Should have pens and paper for note-taking
New ideas or experiments to try next time:
• Local-language flyers (Hausa/Nupe) for health messaging
• Dustbin provision as a low-cost, high-visibility sanitation win
• Sanitary product/hygiene kit distribution alongside health outreach
• Mapping of locations and sanitation hotspots, to support outreach and clean-up planning
• Collaborate with group like Medical CDS and others where possible
Closing
The first circle meetup went super well. People are interested and ready to act. We’re still weighing our winnable issues and moving forward. In the coming week, we’ll have an online session to finalize our winnable issue, plan the next steps, and assign roles to help us achieve our winnable action.
We’ll discuss it further during our online session and definitely share an update once we’ve locked in our winnable issue