​opinion: Harnessing Local Resources For Rural Development

Source: thewillnigeria.com

Prickle Academy has demonstrated how rural communities can create sustainable social solutions by harnessing local resources.

Also known as Prickle Educational Initiative, the non-governmental organisation works with rural communities, helping them identify their unique strengths thereby empowering the youths to become active citizens  and community builders.

The academy uses the asset-based community development (ABCD) approach to carry out her collaborative community projects. A recent development involved an intensive capacity inventory over a period of eight weeks in Mbagishi, a rural community in Vadekiya local government of Benue state.

The inventory showed that the community was rich in natural resources, community bonds, various skills and agricultural produce. It was also discovered that, almost every house had a mobile phone. With these discoveries the academy organised a training on how to make peanut snacks.

The training which had 40 participants in attendance saw the facilitator, Miss Grace Opoola transferring knowledge to the participants for 1hour 40 minutes all the way from Lagos. This was made possible with a discounted call package which costs N100 only.

While expressing his excitement at the success of the event, the team lead, Damilola Fasoranti explained that the innovative idea did not only remove the overhead cost of training but also helped to prevent information overload.

He added that “People especially in the rural communities have survived to this point not without pain but with ideas, education, will, hopes and other people, all of which  we need to understand and appreciate in order to help.”

Written by Grace Daramola.

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