1. PROJECT STATUS: FINAL SUBMISSION
PROJECT TITLE: NEIGHBORHOOD
NETWORK SCHEME NIGERIA
TEAM LEADER: MR. MICHAEL IYANRO
IMPACTED UNDERPRIVILEGED GROUP
OF YOUTH:
I. Illiterate, Abandoned, and Homeless
II.Diseased and Disabled
NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN THE TEAM: 2
VOLUNTEERING HOURS SPENT: 9 HOURS/DAY, 36 HOURS/WEEK
NUMBER OF YOUTH/PEOPLE IMPACTED: 34,000
PERIOD OF PROJECT/ACTION: 2010-2015

2. N-N-S TEAM &VOLUNTEERS IN
ACTION AT THE MOLOKO ASIPA
VILLAGE, OWODE L.G.A OGUN
STATE. NIGERIA

3. NEIGBORHOOD NETWORK TEAM & VOLUNTEERS IN ACTION:
RECONSTRUCTING DAMAGED COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTRE,
DAMAGED BRIDGE BY TORENTIAL RAIN, AND CARRYING OUT
MEDICAL CHECKS ON THE PEOPLE.

4.  In the rural slums of south-western Nigeria highly populated by disadvantaged youth;
poverty, dearth, diseases, hunger, illiteracy, inadequate access to healthcare facilities,
inadequate access to educational tools, barrier to learning, and unemployment is a
commonplace. Majority of the remote communities are often marginalized and seems to be
separated from their own world.
 This zone has a total population of about 15-20 million. The zone is composed of more than
200 districts. Out of total population of the zone 56% is youth while 42% and 2% are adult
and old respectively. From the whole population of the zone 80% live in rural slums
engaged in agricultural activities, which is the dominant activity. This area is recurrently hit
by various developmental challenges and food deficit mainly because of population
pressure, erratic nature of rainfall; land shortage, backward agricultural technology (lack of
modern health facilities, agricultural implements and input) and so on. This challenges
faced by this people especially the youth has prompted us into launching the
Neighborhood Network Scheme Campaign to help this people out of their relentless
misery. The Campaign is a comprehensive equity agenda. With over 3,400 members - most
of whom live, work or worship in some of the regions toughest inner city neighborhoods -
and dozens of institutional partners, it is a results-based and highly integrated approach
focused on achieving results for youths, children and families and transforming the systems
and policies that affect families. The campaign also involves a combination of three tightly-
integrated services (a) mobile clinic that create a direct link with our target audience,
generate demand and healthy outcomes (b) mobile library, resource and entrepreneur
training centre were at risk youths are educated, have access to educational resources, and
trained in various entrepreneurial skills and income generating activities, and further given
a revolving fund to start-up a venture (c) Mobile disaster Aid, which helps during flood
disasters. Usually the areas we serve are prone to torrential rain and heavy down pour. We
travel around predetermined rural slums running for 9 hours a day, 3 days a week.

5.  Our target group are isolated, abandoned, and disable youths, children, and
there families. These groups lack the advantages and opportunities that are
enjoyed by us and others in our world such as access to quality healthcare,
education, empowerment, food, adequate shelter etc. They are often deprived
of rights and opportunities in life so many of them feel frustrated and end up
committing suicide. Over 100 cases have been reported in the past around this
community. So we see this program as an opportunity to bring sanity into their
lives.

6.  The campaign is working to build a better bottom line for youths, children, and their families, transform the
lives of youth via skill building, family-serving systems and advocate for fair policies. We are about:
• Building community demand for results, by mobilizing residents and stakeholders around an equity agenda,
creating opportunity for families and transforming neighborhoods. The campaign is about higher aspirations,
and about providing both the expectation of a better future and the connections and collective power to
pursue it.
• Creating new connections to systems and organizations by creating new avenues and approaches for
interacting with systems that otherwise pose barrier.
• Transforming the environment to sustain the change, creating family-centered, equitable, results-focused
systems that work for all families.
• Holding ourselves and others accountable for what we say we are doing in community by using data for
decision making, tracking progress and case making.
 IMPACT
 The campaign has created a network of over 3, 400 hundred members who have signed on to create a
positive economic, social and educational change in some of the most challenged neighborhoods in south-
west Nigeria. As a result of our network:
• A workforce pipeline was created, connecting residents from economically challenged neighborhoods to
employers, including the city’s 2 largest employers, UPS and Easier Healthcare. 333 residents have been
employed, 62% in jobs with benefits
• over a thousand uses our mobile library, and are now been enrolled in schools across the neighborhood.
• Third grade proficient reading scores at our partner school have increased by 18%.
• 0ver 100 new business and ventures have been started and running.
 • Neighborhood Networks and its principles and tools are being rooted in other community based
organizations, the community and technical college and several of our local public systems (school system,
health department, circuit court).
 Results
 Go to scale with Neighborhood Network approach, as defined by the approach available to all the low-mod
income neighborhoods and begin to seat the approach in other cities.
• Partnership with Social Compact would provide real-time data, non-census, to encourage investment in our
neighborhoods.
• Funding from diverse philanthropic organizations would help to stabilize and sustain our efforts
• Earned income streams would also stabilize and sustain the work.

7.  We are pioneering a new approach to community building, Neighborhood
Network, in highly distressed inner-city neighborhoods, using emerging research
into social networks – how they form and how they function for good and for ill –
combined with the use of community network techniques to establish and
nurture a neighborhood network that breaks down isolation, builds trusting
relationships, and fosters confidence in the community itself so that its members
can come together and improve the lives of families and children.
 At its very core, the Network is about social change. We are about intentional
lasting change that knocks down long-standing and persistent inequities and
social injustices. We are about creating a community of opportunity where all
children, youths and families achieve their highest aspirations.
 The feedback received based on this campaign has been wonderful. We have
created a network of over 3, 400 hundred members who have signed on to create
a positive economic, social and educational change in some of the most
challenged neighborhoods. The Network scheme and its principles and tools are
being rooted in other community based organizations, the community and
technical college and several of our local public systems (school system, health
department, circuit court).

8.  Most local governments do not have the capacity to address sustainability issues effectively, much less
develop policies and ordinances to enable citizens to adopt more sustainable lifestyles. Neighborhood
Network has proven effective in improving the existing methods that communities use to pursue sustainable
projects because it provides towns that enter the program with a comprehensive package of tools, guidance
materials, training, and financial incentives to support and reward progress.
 Key Innovative Elements:
 Local Government Focus: Local governments, as the level of governance closest to citizens, have the highest
potential for effecting real change – by raising awareness, informing and mobilizing people to act.
 Specific Menu of Actions: The program provides local governments with a clear mission and a menu of
sustainable actions to achieve.
 Measurement: The program provides results-oriented measurement of sustainable goals which is the core of
an effective sustainability program.
 Champions: The program includes a coalition of motivated leaders and spokespeople to promote the program
with peers and the local community.
 Constructive Competition: Local governments compete for recognition and reward by achieving points in our
program. The competitive recognition and reward model is more effective and faster for fostering
participation and action than regulation and requirements dictated directly from state and national policy.
 Promotional Partnerships: Partnerships with state agencies, utilities, and private companies provide
recognition and funding to further motivate action and change. Neighborhood Networks has bridged
connections between academics, state agencies, government officials and corporations to support and grow
the program.

 Other organizations are beginning to replicate our model in some local communities, but we hope to take it up
on a large scale especially in the developing nations of the world.

9.  There is a great opportunity to take this project globally. However, In
order to grow, Neighborhood Networks needs funds and staff to work
with the project, partners to support expanded training, technical
assistance and program support for municipal sustainability efforts
implemented through this program. We need to strengthen value for
Network members, and create conditions for broad based financial
support.

10.  MR MICHAEL IYANRO
 MS.TESSY SHOSOWEN