In the West African nation Sierra Leone’s capital Freetown, “open markets” are common. Here fruit and vegetable sellers, most of them women, work with little shade and hydration.
Nearly 15 of Freetown’s 42 markets are open markets and the heat does not just damage the fruits and vegetables causing an economic loss, but also affects workers’ health.
“[The] majority of the women in these markets are exposed to prolonged and extensive heat during the day, which impacts their livelihood and leads to economic losses,” said Eugenia Kargbo, who is a senior heat strategist for Africa with the nonprofit Climate Resilience for All and is working with the community to increase awareness about heat.
Printing articles to share with others is a breach of our terms and conditions and copyright policy. Please use the sharing options on the left side of the article. Devex Pro members may share up to 10 articles per month using the Pro share tool ( ).
About the author
Disha Shetty
Disha Shetty is an independent science journalist based in Pune, India, who writes about public health, environment, and gender. She is the winner of the International Center for Journalists’ 2018 Global Health Reporting Contest Award. Disha has a Masters in Science, Environment, and Medicine Journalism from Columbia University.
