Microfinance - My Community Experience

Poverty, ignorance and disease are tripartite ills. The best way to

keep a nation healthy is to reduce poverty. Five years ago, an attempt

was made to get members of my community (Ogoloma in Rivers State),

resident in UK and USA to contribute funds towards establishing one of

three projects:

1) Interest-free loans to petty traders

2) Scholarship schemes - primary, secondary, tertiary

3) Skills Acquisition programme for young people.

Unfortunately, no one responded. I reasoned that 'the vision is for an

appointed time'.

A year later, I went home for my mum's 80th birthday and gave NGN

100,000 (£400) to an honest lady who runs a non-governmental organisation to

start the microfinance scheme with some women.

To 'cut a long story short', three years later, 'Ama ibi gose' Project

('for the good of the community') now has a budget of 5 million naira

(£20,000) and is currently giving loans to nearly 200 women in the nine towns

that form two local government areas. 27 children have been given

scholarships in 2010 (pix) and plans are underway to support restive youths

in the community through a skills acquisition programme in 2011. Most

of the funding for these projects has come from Wakirike Washington,

Inc., one of our community groups in USA.

The more exciting thing is that we have now established Wakirike

Developmental Coalition (www.wakirikedevelopmentcoalition.org).

Membership is by subscription only and made up of Wakirike (Okrika)

people in Nigeria, USA, UK, Asia, etc. Funds raised by these

individuals and their community groups will be sent back home to

strengthen projects in the years ahead, (see waiting list).

Nigerians send billions of pounds every year home to family members

and friends. From my community experience, I imagine that it would be

a great idea if every Nigerian community group abroad could do

something similar and raise funds for educational, skills acquisition

and/or microcredit/wealth creation schemes. We can have platforms to

share good practice online and learn from each other's experience.

These little drops of water in our villages and towns will someday

make a mighty ocean.

Do you have a similar experience? Please share it. Would you like to

initiate something similar in your corner of Nigeria, let's talk...

CS
https://sites.google.com/site/goodnewsnaija/