How Much Are We Contributing To Development Back Home?

Honestly guys, what do you think the possibility is of setting up something like Bangladesh’s Grameen Bank in Nigeria?

Given the dynamics back home do you think it is viable? Is it something the people would buy into?

I really believe that this would make the people so much less dependent on those corrupt individuals we call government and empower them to take charge of their lives and do some things for themselves. I think only once people feel empowered can they start questioning the status quo?   
 

well,the good thing about micro finance is the flexibility in start up funding,i know there is legislation in place for micro finance bank so i reckon that will cover setting up a small to medium micro finance outfit,but i guss once you have a properly registered limited liability company and have your lawyer ivolved every step of the way and fully insured against any eventuality,it should be ok,an example is the local thrift collecting which has no safety net whatsoever but works on a continuous link kind of and thats with no legal backing,proper accounting e.t.c
micro finance schemes s the key to poverty eradication,and it can only get better when the government discover how sucessful it is with the grass roots and get involved

Well done. Good stuff.

Thanks guys .
We are hoping to put up a few of these around the village.
The idea is that people should not have to walk miles for fresh water.

My brother tells me that they have added a feature to this one that did not come with the initial spec from playpumps ( I guess SA People are not so concerned with waterborne infection?   ) . It's a filtration and ultra violet water disinfection unit that he got from "I know not where, but am glad he did". 

He says it removes sediment, (all solids) pesticides, herbicides, chlorine, bad taste in the water and the ultrviolet light kills bacteria and viruses and it is solar powered so no need for PHCN abi na NEPA to get involved. 

This is the same unit he has at his own place (I think I posted pics of the house on Nairaland before) back home .

I have to admit that was his idea, not mine sha.

I just wanted to give my fellow villagers easier access to water without having to risk snake bites and whiplash from carrying water containers for distances through the village.

I'm just terribly excited to see the project taking shape.

And the people have taken complete ownership of this thing sha. The guys in the pics are local young guys who have completed their NYSC and have not got jobs yet so they are more than willing to help.

I Just think this whole thing is totally cool. 


Thank you once again to all of you who contributed to this thread ( yes, including the naysayers who said it could not be done).   

Amakaone, nice,  but really, this year alone nigeria is said to have made about $90 billion in revenue. and an external reserve of $60 billion. Ask yourself what is the govt doing. one of the children of our big man claim she had one billion naira in the last one years,  another governor is said to be sending money to lebanon.


if a nation have made $90 billion in a year, and $60 billion . and one of the child of the big made now in one year have 1 billion naira in account and a governor have million of dollar in lebanon,  how do you expect nigerian abroad to make contribution to nigeria. when all they hear is govt officer are becoming rich.

because the only way we can get lasting change is when we suffer through what we have to today, so we can enjoy the rest of our days. I am sorry but deciding to settle for crap, because you are hungry is the reason the problem we have in Africa continues to persist. The “LET US GIVE THEM OUR SOULS FOR A LOAF OF BREAD” mentality is what we see today in Zimbabwe, Somalia, etc and these politicians understand that if they push the people enough, they can break them. That is what continues to happen. No Change, just the same old and nothing new. Please do not buy into that mediocrity mentality. Africa needs change, not settlement. Look at south Africa. Do you think that if those people compromised during apartheid, and thought it not worth loosing hundreds of lives in the process, that country would be where it is today, compared to other countries all over Africa?

My people say, a hungry man is an angry man. If that man does not channel his anger in the right direction to get lasting change to his situation, but instead decides to compromise, what good would have come out of his experience?

What good is their being alive if they only continue to leave suffering for their children as inheritance? Are you saying those who died in South Africa died in vain? Would South Africa be where it is today if those people had not chosen to die for the cause?



Why then do we continue to pay government if at the end of the day we still have to do the job we already pay billions to get done each year?




What has this to do with what we are talking about here?



Again, what has the above to do with the questions we are dealing with now?


What is endless dialogue in trying to explain that if a man is not willing to die for a cause, then he might as well count that life he continues to sell for a piece of bread worthless?


In many areas across that country, they have had similar programs as the one Grameen bank runs. There are lot of cooperative groups that put money together to help members run their business, raise money for expansions and so on. Just cause Grameen is suddenly global does not mean it is the first. Go to the markets all over that country and ask the meat sellers or the palm oil sellers how their groups helps and they may fill you in on what their group does for them. Unfortunately, even grameen can only go so far. Most of the stories we hear of are of people who have been able to use the money to do better for themselves but at the end of the day, many who live in poor areas are still without adequate water supply, electricity and good education.


No, mediocrity means continuing to settle for less instead of demanding what you DESERVE. I don’t think building yet another well is the solution to the problem in that country.
I can estimate that we have over 10 thousand wells in that country alone and continuing to settle for wells, has yet to solve the drinking water problem or the fact that we continue to pay the government billions of dollars to solve this problem once and for all but instead of demanding we get the service we continue to spend billions on, we would rather build for ourselves another well so we can be happy that we at least have some water for now.



Changing the future of Nigeria one hundred wells at a time? I mean we have been working at that for over 20 years now. If we take a number of the wells that have been dug in Nigeria alone in the past 20 years, I am sure they number in the hundreds of thousands and how come that has yet to solve the problem to date?

Imagine the cost of each well. Add that to the total sum paid each year to the government to provide the people of Nigeria with water and then come back and tell me that building more wells is for a better tomorrow, instead of standing up to DEMAND the government deliver on the service it is being paid for or get lost? 

I am not trying to poopoo your attempts here but I am not impressed by these acts any more as I have seen thousands of these plans implemented, and yet I continue to see a country spiraling out of control; retrogressing, instead of progressing. If that is not a telling fact that the root of the issue needs to be dealt with once and for all, I don’t know what is.

Are you sure that is what it shows? Mbeki was in Nigeria, you say, how come he is not the one hailed as the hero of the south African movement? Again, I ask, do you think that if the people on the ground were not willing to die for their cause, the help you believe they got from Nigeria would have helped in any way?



Dying for a cause essentially means going all the way to see your plans come to fruition and understanding that even if it means you may die along the way, it is worth it. If a man is constantly willing to settle along the way, he is most likely never going to achieve his goal and will continue to deal with that problem longer than he has to.



Are you sure they actually died for their cause? Ken Saro Wiwa died, are you sure his people continued to push for the goal or decided to accept less along the way? There are a couple of ogoni folks who live out here in Minnesota who got pay outs from the Shell settlement back some years ago.  My point is, we know Ken Saro Wiwa himself died but the cause was not for him alone. Did the people left behind continue to push for the same? Or did they decide to settle? Answering this question will provide better answer to the above question.


Again, Ken Saro Wiwa died for what he believed but did his people feel the cause was what dying for or not? If the people continue to elect and allow idiots into government, does that not speak volumes when it comes to where these people stand at this point?

Amakaone, keep it up and forget about these talk and do nothing people on nairaland. I salute your courage and faith. I am also like you. Four months ago, i quit my wellpaying job to start a foundation in honor of my late mother, i had just N37,000 in my account. But it was time for me to move on and start do the will of God in my life. People said we couldnt make it but by the grace of God, in three months i have completed my target of three projects without external funding. Ideas not money rule the world.
As a result of one of the football matches we organized between children in Orphanges and children in private schools, one of the children from the orphange is now training with the National Under 13 team. I finished my last project on sunday to the shame of many consultants who said we can't achieve anything without loads of money. I find so much joy and peace from looking at the smiling faces on the site, 60 % of the children who won our talent hunt show were from the orphanges.
Check out our website: www.kidssummerblast.com.
Keep the dream alive, one person can make a difference, as my mother says, even if you talk from today till 100 years and take no action your noise can lift a spoon, so with your little action you can make a difference.

@kobojunkie

As I said before we clearly have totally different views on this matter and we will not agree not today or any time in the future.

I believe that the type of project like this helps to alleviate these types of situations:

#  In the past ten years, diarrhea has killed more children worldwide than all the people lost to armed conflict since World War II (Water Aid)

# Twelve million people die each year from lack of safe drinking water, including more than 3 million who die from waterborne diseases (WHO)

# Over 80% of the disease in developing countries is related to poor drinking water and sanitation (WHO)

# 1.5 billion people in the world are suffering from parasite infections, which can cause malnutrition, anemia and delayed growth, due to the presence of solid human waste in the environment. Many of these infections could be controlled with improved hygiene, clean water and sanitation. These (www.whrnet.org).

# The average distance a woman in Africa and Asia walks to collect water is 6 km (3.75 miles) (www.whrnet.org)

# The weight of water that women in Asia and Africa carry on their heads is equivalent to the maximum baggage weight allowed by airlines – 20 kg, or 44lbs (www.whrnet.org)

# Women are the primary caretakers for those who fall ill from water-related diseases, reducing their time available for education and productive economic efforts (http://www.unfpa.org)

# One-third of women in Egypt walk more than an hour a day for water; in other parts of Africa, the task can consume as much as eight hours (www.unfpa.org)

# Medical research has documented cases of permanent damage to women’s health as a result of carrying water, such as chronic fatigue, spinal and pelvic deformities, and effects on reproductive health including spontaneous abortion (http://www.unhabitat.org)

# In some parts of Africa, women expend as much as 85% of their daily energy intake on getting water, increasing incidences of anemia and other health problems (www.unhabitat.org)

Well, as long as you see that we do not all choose to see it the same way, that is fine by me. Only expressing the fact that if you really wanted a one time solution, we all know what we need to do to obtain that but are we willing to do that or just continue with the old expecting new? Anywho, if you are happy doing it the way you are now, that is all that matters. I do hope we get people soon who are willing to confront the main problems. Just as you are here seeking people to go at it your way, I am seeking people who are willing to go at it the other way.