How much do those of us abroad contribute to the development an upgrading of the quality of life of the people in our villages?

You will hear people asked " where are you from?" and proudly say " Umuaka Owerri ,Imo state" ( My Villa of course) But do you even know what the daily day today grind is for the peopel inthat place is that you so proudly speak of in Jand or Yankee?

I must say going back home and spending time there was an eye opener for me sha.

Outside of our family compound, people dey suffer sha.
I am still thinking of what I can do in my personal capacity to improve things for my community.
Do anyone of you guys ever think about such things? I mean with your constant electricity, hot showers/ baths/ Internet access fast foods and all that. Does it ever occur that where we (and by we I mean You and ME before the haters pounce on me ) come from life is really and I mean [b]REALLY [/b]hard?

Surely this is no way for people to live?
I never see this type of discussion on Nairaland.

This topic has actually been discussed in some form or another on Nairaland and I know there are actually several people on the board that have contributed in their own ways and are currently doing what they can to help out as much as possible back home in the form of businesses and other things they got going on.

Personally, I have come to the conclusion that no matter what, I can not get down or feel guilty about the fact that I got an opportunity to go abroad being that out of all my relatives that I grew up with, God would so have it that I am the only one to get that opportunity so far,

However, that being the case, I know I've spent this many years in the US for a reason, and I know so much good can come out of the things I know now that I can implement to help out back home.

The only thing I, or anyone that happens to live abroad can do is their sincere best. Nigeria is still home to me, regardless of what passport color I use, but you can't have the midset of saving the entire country of Nigeria, but you can do something, no matter how little.

I know what I'm good at, and what moves me; and I know there are so many needs in the country that I can use the skills I have and that can help out in my own little way.

That's really what everyone can do, find a need that speaks to your strenghts and what not, and tackle it. Even if you only end up changing the quality of life for 5 people, it's more to speak of than what they currently are going through.

I think I'm rambling now, so I'll stop

how can we make a meaningful contribution , when right from the airport, they make you feel unwanted?

The Corruption issues cause a massive discouragement when coming to do anything postive in Nigeria.  I was in Nigeria for month in april 2008 and right from arrival to the country i had to start settling people and officals and must confess it was very frustating. 

I try and live a righteous life ( God help me ) which works fine abroad but the moment i hit Nija it is like all the demons of hells hits you and one has no option but to sucomb.  The Questions is " are their any honest people in that country".   The fun thing is that you have some churches every where but does not reflect the goodliness at all BUNCH OF HYPCRITIES.  The leaders are corrupt, people self corrupt and they all blame it on poverty.

@poster
speaking for myself,its something i have been involved in but we started ours in lagos n a small scale because of funds,and its like a mentoring programme where we organise people both young or old in diffrent fields to speak to and mentor less priviledged 10yrs old to 17yrs old,we have secured committments from a few people on schorlaships,skills training and aquisitione.t.c
the main goal for us is to focus on these age groups,and targeted at only these who are most vulnerable i.e sleeping under the bridges,street hawking e.t.c helping them through secondary school and then eiher putting them through a career or vocation or higher institution in the future,we are only starting a pilot project with just a couple of kids but we are working on accomodation,feeding,raising funds and volunteers.

from my little experience,i think you will be overwelhmed if you take on too much at once,you have to target a particular problem and then go with that, if it is under priviledged children then face it squarely and leave the rest out,if it is water face it accomodation e.t.c
also expect some form of cynicism from people but dont let it discourage you,and dont expect any government funding at all,if you know ppl they will take your proposals and then ty and use it to syphon money but will identify with you soon as its beginning to look sucessful,we are planning our fund raising in nigeria soon and ours is called africanmentoring programme

At all who replied, thanks for your posts. I am a new graduate and I hadn't been home in a whileand like I said b4 what I saw scared the living beetles out of me. There is so much that I have been taking for granted sha. I appreciate your advice. I think I would like to work back home in my villa though, especially regarding water and sanitation.

In this 21st century to think that people in my own village are still walking miles to carry water in a container from a communal tap or well, while I just get up step into the shower/ bath or dive into swimming pool without a second thought just upsets me sha.

I'm not even sure where or when i am going to start, but I know i must do something and God willing I will do it soon.

thanks for your replies and if you guys have any other advice I would seriously welcome it.

I have a burning passion for Nigeria. I sometimes just wish there was something I could do to help change the way things are.

At the moment there is nothing I can do, nothing at all, except build and develop myself so I can do something for Nigeria in the years to come.

I do look forward to starting to make a difference in the lives of those in my immediate community.

Anybody have any plans to make a difference? Please get in touch as I would love to be a part of it. 

My email is [email]seyi@seyibrown.com[/email]

God bless Nigeria!

seyibrown:

I have a burning passion for Nigeria. I sometimes just wish there was something I could do to help change the way things are.

At the moment there is nothing I can do, nothing at all, except build and develop myself so I can something for Nigeria in the years to come.

I do look forward to starting to make a difference in the lives of those in my immediate community.

Anybody have any plans to make a difference? Please get in touch as I would love to be a part of it.

My email is [email]seyi@seyibrown.com[/email]

God bless Nigeria!

you are right the government isnt doing much and they r not encouraging private perticipation as well,but there are a couple of things you can do to help not necessarily financially,im studying now as well so are most of the people im working with but ours is like a mentoring programme/less priviledged youth charity,we just started it last year and we have made a lot of in roads mainly in lagos,you can help with your time when u r in nigeria,helping with organising a fun raising,getting books,clothes,funds e.t.c also nigerian senators and house of representatives have changed from the od way of doing things,if you google any of their names,you will find their nmbers and they will pick up their fones,we are working through a couple of them that we know and working on pushing aproposal through,its a lot of work and most of them want to either use it to siphone money or political gains but it works, theres a lt you can do if u r interested

I’m so glad for people like you all. It means we’ve still got good people around who want to do their part and not criticize the government for not doing theirs!! I was kind of hoping I’ll see the likes of Kobo…. here. I’d love to know what he has done or what he hopes to do!!!

I am still doing research into being able to provide better access to water for people in my villa and I found this amazing concept being done in South Africa.

It's called the playpump

It's actually such a simple idea, I wonder why it is not being implemented more widely in Africa sha


According to their site,

[b]Benefits of the PlayPump® Water System


Access to clean drinking water is the critical first step for addressing a wide range of health, education, gender and economic issues. With access, children and their families live longer, healthier lives.

While the health benefits of a clean water supply are critical, other benefits flow from the PlayPump® water system as well. Children are playing and staying in school instead of hauling water. While they are having fun, children are learning self-confidence and interpersonal skills. Play stimulates bodies and minds.

Women benefit too, as they no longer risk injury from transporting heavy containers of water over great distances, and they can use the time saved to better care for their children and start small enterprises that bring additional food and income to their families.

The PlayPump system can increase awareness of how to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS. Public health messages on PlayPump billboards promote healthy behaviors that limit the spread of HIV/AIDS in rural Africa. Also, in order for HIV infected people to remain healthy as long as possible, adequate water supplies and sanitary facilities are of the utmost importance. Clean water is needed to take medication.

In addition to helping to provide access to clean water, the PlayPump water system is uniquely sustainable and creates economic benefits. The 2,500-liter water tank provides a rare advertising opportunity in rural communities. On each PlayPump storage tank, Roundabout Outdoor leases two sides of the raised storage tank for consumer advertising and leases the other two sides for public health messaging.

Advertising revenue pays for pump maintenance for up to 10 years. Roundabout Outdoor trains local crews on the installation and maintenance, generating new jobs for local workers.

And the installation of PlayPump water systems is helping to achieve the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals.[/b]

While children have fun spinning on the PlayPump merry-go-round (1), clean water is pumped (2) from underground (3) into a 2,500-liter tank (4), standing seven meters above the ground.
A simple tap (5) makes it easy for adults and children to draw water. Excess water is diverted from the storage tank back down into the borehole (6).
The water storage tank (7) provides a rare opportunity to advertise in outlaying communities.  All four sides of the tank are leased as billboards, with two sides for consumer advertising and the other two sides for health and educational messages.

Wow, this is remarkable. I think I'll check out more on this, it sounds really nice.

AMAKAONE:

I am still doing research into being able to provide better access to water for people in my villa and I found this amazing concept being done in South Africa.

And it cost less than 150K.

This is not the route to go.

developmental aids have poured into africa but nothing to show for it.

the people would become lazy and only wait for hands-out.

The route is to ensure the GOVT respond to development of the people: any means is ok.

OBJ spent $16bil for NEPA and what you see is DARKNESS, yet the people are not in street.

It is time for hardcore revolution. Nigeria has money/resource to take GOOD CARE of its people.

landis:

This is not the route to go.

developmental aids have poured into africa but nothing to show for it.

the people would become lazy and only wait for hands-out.

The route is to ensure the GOVT respond to development of the people: any means is ok.

OBJ spent $16bil for NEPA and what you see is DARKNESS, yet the people are not in street.

It is time for hardcore revolution. Nigeria has money/resource to take GOOD CARE of its people.

anti corruption crusaders have ben doing that for ages and the politicians only get more brazen,look at gani fawehinmi,and his health problems at 70?he could have had a better quality of life like babatope today but he dedicated his life to this same thing ,we as individuals have to start stepping up and doing something like the poster
@topic
i cant say my focus is on water and other infrastructures like that because my village dont have that problem neither does lagos,im looking into micro finance and its a very awesome way to lift people out of poverty,its what nigerians need right now,was looking through a unaid werbsite where the process was broken down,cant find the website rigt now but will do later and post it on here,if micro finance can work in countries who are not as resilient and natural traders like nigerians you can imagine how many millions it will lift out of poverty,the only thing im worried about is the government legislation on it,pls if anyone knows of any law backing it pls post

@Poster, as long as you bear in mind that

1) There are thousands of Nigerians/Organizations out there already involved in the very areas your passion is in
2) You will face so many obstacles
3) Whatever you end up doing might not change Nigeria or the lives of the people in a twinkling of an eye… then I say you are in good place

But if you consider the many billions of dollars that have been poured in by various organizations from all over the world into the same area, you realize the problem is not so much who is going to help but how can we make sure that the changes become lasting ones and not end up like the many projects before them. This is the case in Africa. TRILLIONS of dollars have been poured into that continent so far and look around sometime and you will be shocked that you barely see change. Problem is not how many people that are actually helping but more than all that. There is high probability that Africa will go back to the same way it is even if you decided to push all Africans today to go develop the place. As long as that ‘mentality’ is there, we will continue to drown.

Kobojunkie:

@Poster, as long as you bear in mind that

1) There are thousands of Nigerians/Organizations out there already involved in the very areas your passion is in
2) You will face so many obstacles
3) Whatever you end up doing might not change Nigeria or the lives of the people in a twinkling of an eye… then I say you are in good place

But if you consider the many billions of dollars that have been poured in by various organizations from all over the world into the same area, you realize the problem is not so much who is going to help but how can we make sure that the changes become lasting ones and not end up like the many projects before them. This is the case in Africa. TRILLIONS of dollars have been poured into that continent so far and look around sometime and you will be shocked that you barely see change. Problem is not how many people that are actually helping but more than all that. There is high probability that Africa will go back to the same way it is even if you decided to push all Africans today to go develop the place. As long as that ‘mentality’ is there, we will continue to drown.

@kobojunkie

I know that throughout Naija "Organisations" are doing things like this, but I still think that if we as individuals contributed to our own indigenous communities then there would not be much need for these "organizations" to be mobilising on our behalf, no be so?

this is about the proverbial one stone thrown in a pool and sending ripples so that it eventually touches the whole nation.
maybe I am being naive and optimistic in my youth but I think all great ideas must have started with some degree of optimism and naivete?

I know that throughout Naija "Organisations" are doing things like this, but I still think that if we as individuals contributed to our own indigenous communities then there would not be much need for these "organizations" to be mobilising on our behalf, no be so?

we cant continue to carry their shit -- Baba70

Nigeria has the money to fix itself.

We paid CASH $18bil to world bank. OBJ alone took $16bil just in 1-sector: Power.

We should rather fight for our freedom. The govt must be responsible to its people or be closed down.

AMAKAONE:

@kobojunkie

I know that throughout Naija "Organisations" are doing things like this, but I still think that if we as individuals contributed to our own indigenous communities then there would not be much need for these "organizations" to be mobilising on our behalf, no be so?

What you are saying is not wrong at all BUT you have to realize that even if ALL Nigerians went back there to fix things one day, reality is with the current ineptitude that exists in our country today, I am talking of lack of security, corruption, bad leadership, lack of motivation by the people to actually want and demand change, we will be back where we are in an instance.
Fix the roads and before you know it, it is back to the way it used to be or worse; fix the street lights and opportunities will raid those lights to remove all they can so they can make a buck or two; Fix the highways and nothing stops the police from digging trenches so they can cause traffic to slow back down in order that they might gain opportunity to collect bribe from drivers. These issues are real. Like I mentioned Billions of dollars are pumped into the system already from the outside each year. Why is it not making a difference? Because the system is rigged in such a way that change is thwarted right from the start.

AMAKAONE:

this is about the proverbial one stone thrown in a pool and sending ripples so that it eventually touches the whole nation.
maybe I am being naive and optimistic in my youth but I think all great ideas must have started with some degree of optimism and naivete?

This has nothing to do with that proverb. In fact, Africa’s case at this point is beyond that. Like I mention earlier, trillions of dollars and man hour has been thrown into Africa. The ripple effect remains minute at best. The best way to deal with the problem in Africa at this time is for Africans to stand up to demand change in leadership and from their leaders. We cannot continue to sit back and expect messiahs to come in to do the work for us. We have had millions of those over the years (from financial help from outside of Africa to millions of AID workers that flood that continent to help build) , yet not much change to report to date.


I am not sure you are being naïve or overly optimistic here just that in the case of Africa as a whole, the situation is beyond the ordinary at this point.
The enemies of progress in that continent happen to be the many of the very people you want to help and so until that mental problem is dealt with, we may continue to experience much of what we have been. And when I say dealt with, I mean through serious education or force. I am all for force if that has to be used. Take a simple example of people urinating on the streets. These people know it is wrong and know that it detrimental to their health and a blight on the city/town, but they continue. You educate them and little change. If we had a system that imposed fines on such actions and maybe possible jail time, I am sure a lot of people will zip up. It is not just the people at this point, it is more and we need to step up.


In the 21st century, can you imagine that there are people who have lived and died without ever knowing what it means to have 24hour electricity, access to good communication, good transportation, good water supply right there for them to take advantage of. There are people who live today in Nigeria who may never actually know how good it is to sit in an air conditioned room on a hot summer’s day? There are people who will never experience the joy of a good clean toilet system. There are people who will never experience the joy of breathing good clean air. This problem is more than PLAY PUMP PROJECTS.

Kobojunkie:

What you are saying is not wrong at all BUT you have to realize that even if ALL Nigerians went back there to fix things one day, reality is with the current ineptitude that exists in our country today, I am talking of lack of security, corruption, bad leadership, lack of motivation by the people to actually want and demand change, we will be back where we are in an instance.

I get this, but I also get that in reality the odds of the "powers that be' actually doing something and changing their own mindset, talk less of dealing with the millions of Nigerians who quite frankly right now have resigned themselves to a life of corruption, theft and squalor, is next to impossible right now, or at least I do not think it will happen in my lifetime.

So what do we do? Do we remain abroad and carry on as if nothing is going on back home, because despite it's rottenness, that is home after all abi?

@poster
im sorry but arent you digressing from your own thread?i though this was about the stuffs you can do and not another debate about the rights and wrongs, i stand corrected if it is so i personally can take my leave, you said somethn about the water thing u found on the net pls post the rest of the details on here and maybe a link for anyone interested in it

We need to BECOME the powers that be. We have a democracy; a government in which the people have the say, not some foolish old thieves. We have to stand up and take back power from these men and that involves motivating the people to use their vote in the right way. Until that problem is solved, we will, in africa, continue to see the  same nonsense happen over and over; we will continue to have situations like the one we had in kenya, or Zimbabwe and even the botched election issues we continue to have in Nigeria to date. Until we change the power structure in Nigeria, we will continue to have to sit back and wait as we continue to do to date.

THERE IS NO OTHER WAY. Nigerians have t take back power or accept their fate. You can put up 10000 PLAY PUMPS today, COME back in months and you will definitely find some stolen, some destroyed and worse, some actually pumping up contaminated water to the poeple it was meant to help. That has been the situation in most of Africa. First Boreholes were all the rave, now they are not, why?? Cause these are not meant to be permanent fixes but temporary ones.

@lucrabasi, I did not intend to divert the thread, just caught up in discourse with Mr. Kobojunkie.

back to the playpump thingy the link to their site : www.playpumps.org/

and yes I still intend to go ahead with it.

My bros is back at home now and I have been talking to him to see whom I need to talk to to have one of those installed in our village.


I am a big believer in small things growing into great things. I believe that the changes that this will bring to the village are not just about not having to go to the village pump, but minimizing that laborious effort that goes into that will also help in terms of improving the quality of family lives, reduce infant and mother mortality rates ( lugging water from the stream when you are 7-8 months pregnant does not help this at all). among other things

okie smooth,found this while looking for a micro finance charity link i read about but forgot to write down the link
http://www.fairinvestment.co.uk/deals/news/loans-news-Fairinvestmentcouk-chooses-to-support-microfinance-charity-Five-Talents--1234.html

it is geared towards digging people out of poverty to self sufficience,the good thing about micro finance is that,you can start with as little money as you can,it is a business as well as a charity,and it s ripple effect goes a long way than any other charity and there is a massive growth pontential,you dont depend on government funding but established companies can partner with you if they see you are sucessful and you can also get much more patronage than the average ank because you are on ground,cater for the needs of the people e.t.c
ill post the link for the step by step to setting up your own micro finance institution either as an individual or group when i find it but that link will give an over view

Cool , I was also looking for something similar, i.t.o. funding the pumps at home and I came across this link.
www.grameen-info.org/

I agree with you there, It seems that the most successful projects like this internationally have been those that went the micro finance route. When people feel that they own something and they have worked hard to acquire it then they tend to take more pride in it too, and it being a communal/ community type of effort surely will motivate even the slackers in the village to pull up their socks and do something, besides tapping pammy

If you read the inspirational stories on that site , man!

I'm really getting excited about this even though I am still just doing research.

I hope to be able to keep you guys posted as this project progresses, and hopefully I will get some good advice along the way too.

Hmmm on NL we will see sha

I do respect those living in the rural areas, but come to think about it
they pose to be the most innocent people on earth considering the environmental
effect of civilization to our community.

Modern civilization has only come into being in the last couple of hundred years,
yet garbage has become a big headache for many governments, am sure we all
know about kyoto protocol, non western country has been able to set a reasonable
date on when to cutdown pollution  all they worry about is technological breakthrough
and economic development Mr Bush No.1 culprit.

We have always hoped that new development could bring us a way out.Maybe you
would say that these raw materials were used because technology was not yet advanced
enough to synthesize new materials. The question is, though: if the natural materials can
do, why do we have to go out of our way to create new materials? Plus, if the synthetic
materials tend to cause troublesome side effects, is it really worth our effort to create
them?

AMAKAONE:

Cool , I was also looking for something similar, i.t.o. funding the pumps at home and I came across this link.
www.grameen-info.org/

I agree with you there, It seems that the most successful projects like this internationally have been those that went the micro finance route. When people feel that they own something and they have worked hard to acquire it then they tend to take more pride in it too, and it being a communal/ community type of effort surely will motivate even the slackers in the village to pull up their socks and do something, besides tapping pammy

If you read the inspirational stories on that site , man!

I'm really getting excited about this even though I am still just doing research.

I hope to be able to keep you guys posted as this project progresses, and hopefully I will get some good advice along the way too.

Hmmm on Nairaland we will see sha

its an awesome initiative,read a couple of the stories and i was blown away,to think individuals in nigeria have acess to do more than what the man is doing, try and look into the option of part sponsorship from people in the community,im sure there will be well to do/rich people from your village who have the money but never thought of it,the p[astor of the church i attend in london pastor ashimolowo is doing the same thing in my hometown building a 200bed hospital/maternity with a nursing school to international standards and last i heard 42 out of 45 buildings have been built,

do post the progress of what you guys have done so far so that some of us can learn from it as it goes on as well

I'd just like to say kudos to lucabrasi, amakaone and others making or working towards making contributions in their little way to make a positive impact in the lives of the less privileged (people or communities). The playpump thing sounds fantastic. Little things can make a great difference. Definitely pray for the fruition of the many good projects. It's good to see more Nigerians taking responsibilty where they can. I myself have a few projects I should be working on in the near future by the grace of God.
Don't let anyone make you think that your efforts are not enough to make a lasting difference, some people are full of words but very little action. Action effects change, not words.

Miss Chierika Ukogu, a 15-year old Nigerian student in Philadelphia, the United States yesterday donated 10,000 pairs of shoes to the needy in Abuja and Ukpor, Anambra State.

The motherless homes in the Federal Capital Territory got 7,000 pairs of shoes while 3,000 would be distributed among the indigent in Ukpor and its environ.

Addressing news men in Abuja on how she came about the project, Ukogu said she conceived the idea when she visited her home town, Ukpor, Nnewi South Local Government Area, five years ago

for people waiting for govt,you have no excuse,this girl is only 15 years old
@subice
thanks,lets hope the little we are trying to do will make a diffrence

Miss Chierika Ukogu, a 15-year old Nigerian student in Philadelphia, the United States yesterday donated 10,000 pairs of shoes to the needy in Abuja and Ukpor, Anambra State.

Good but this is not what Nigeria needs.

when those shoes are worn out. they will wait for her to bring more shoes.

and the Govt that suppose to provide enabling environment dont do so since they know Nigerians abroad will do something.

Nigerians must stand-up and fight for good life. Thats only way to go.

@ Lucabrasi, I'm looking forward to hearing more about that microfinance inititiative. I think it's a great idea. Please keep us informed.

landis:

Good but this is not what Nigeria needs.

when those shoes are worn out. they will wait for her to bring more shoes.

and the Govt that suppose to provide enabling environment don't do so since they know Nigerians abroad will do something.

Nigerians must stand-up and fight for good life. Thats only way to go.

true but i posted it cause it was quite commendable for a 15 yr old,most people on here who live in the same america and considerably older than her will rather rubbish everything nigerian,criticise and at the end of the day not lift a finger to do anything

Reese1:

@ Lucabrasi, I'm looking forward to hearing more about that microfinance inititiative. I think it's a great idea. Please keep us informed.

will do,still looking for the step by step link on how to go about it,but its something one can do with any amount of money you can afford

MED, Micro Enterprise Development

Micro Enterprise Development has evolved as an economic development tool to benefit the very low income women and men. The term refers to the provision of financial services to the poor. In addition to financial intermediation there is a group development of self confidence, and training in financial literacy and management capabilities among the members of the group.

The story of Microfinances goes back to the 70s when a group of business men in Bangladesh started giving out tiny loans under a system which later become known as the Grameen Bank. They never imagined that some day they would be reaching hundreds of thousands, let alone three million, borrowers. But the capabilities and commitment of their staff and borrowers gave them the courage to expand boldly. They reached milestones like 100,000 borrowers, $ 1 billion lent, 2 million borrowers and so forth. MED has reversed conventional banking practice by removing the need for collateral and created a banking system based on mutual trust, accountability, participation and creativity. MED provides credit to the poorest of the poor in rural and urban areas, without any collateral. Credit is a cost-effective weapon to fight poverty and it serves as a catalyst in the overall development of socio-economic conditions of the poor who have been kept outside the banking orbit on the grounds that they are poor and hence not bankable.

Size of the Microfinance Industry

During 1995, sustainable banking with the poor projects complied a worldwide inventory of more than 1,000 MFI (Micro Finance Institutions) that provided about US$7 billion in outstanding loans to more than 13 million groups. In addition, more than US$19 billion has been mobilized in 45 million active deposit accounts. About 50% of this is mostly carried out of NGOs (Non Government Organizations) around the world.

Proven Methodology

When we talk about the MED industry we are taking about a success-proven methodology that is mostly used as a tool to help the poor. Microfinance activity can help to build financially self-supported, subsidy-free, locally managed micro businesses and provide permanent jobs as a mean to solve the problem of dependency on donations and subvention to help a vulnerable population. It provides flexible and more affordable prices to micro enterprises on a more sustainable basis.

Growing Number of Success Stories

There are an increasing number of well documented, innovative success stories in settings as diverse as rural Bangladesh, urban Bolivia, and rural Mali. This is in stark contrast to the records of state run specialized financial institutions, which have received large amounts of funding over the past few decades but have failed in terms of both financial sustainability and outreach to the poor.
http://www.fips.com/index.php?page=microfinance&language=en