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“What should young people do with their lives today? Many things, obviously. But the most daring thing is to create stable communities in which the terrible disease of loneliness can be cured.” ― Kurt Vonnegut Do you see something in your community that is not quite right? Perhaps the way police officers extort money from citizens? Or poor access to clean water? Or maybe the fact that the drainages are blocked with waste? Whatever the case may be, there is always something that needs fixing in our immediate community. However, experience has thought us that waiting for the government to solve these problems may never happen (or we don’t live long enough to see it happen). No offense to the government. But there is another way to effect change in our communities. There is a more empowering and fulfilling way – community development. Community development is a strategy where well-meaning community members join forces to create solutions to problems in their community (or neighboring communities, or any community for that matter) and improve the wellbeing of the community. Even though many see community development as the work of NGOs and faith based organizations, it actually goes beyond that. In the formal sense, yes, organizations and non-profits takes charge of community development. But we’ve seen instances where community members band together for a single cause. The Power of Communities Remember the story of Babel? When God saw how men were planning to build a tower that would reach heaven. God said that nothing would be impossible for men to do if they were united. And it is true. We’ve seen how communities have united to drive away diseases, empower women, feed children and bring the world’s attention to a cause.  A great example is the #BringBackOurGirls initiative, that brought the world’s attention to the tragedy that happened in Borno state. Even though the girls are yet to be found and released, the initiative has refused to relent in demanding the rescus of the girls from the government. Another example is Lift Above Poverty Organization (LAPO) that has empowered a total of 1,483 women across Nigeria as at April 2006. And yet another example is the Role Model Caregiver (RMC) initiative of the Association for Reproductive and Family Health (ARFH) that has helped reduce malaria in Norther Nigeria. The RMCs are ordinary community volunteers that provide health care services to children and pregnant women in the north.     Building The Future We Want Williams Shakespeare said, ” It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.” If you want a particular future for your children and your children’s children, then you must work today to build that future for them. You cannot sit and hope that things will automatically change itself, or a hero will appear and effect the changes you want. Dikembe Mutombo said that it is our job to prepare for the next generation and help communities. You too can make a difference. How You Can Be a Community Developer You can start effecting change today in communities around you, or in specific areas you wish to see change in. By volunteering at community development centers, donating funds to NGOs or strengthening a movement by tweeting or posting on social media; you could go a long way in making a change. You’d be surprised at how much change you can make by doing something little every now and then.   Project One Nation is currently disseminating funds to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) affected by the insurgency in Northern Nigeria. Subscribe to learn how you can take action now and help the IDPs in Northern Nigeria    
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This article was first published on 17th March 2016

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