United States government through the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Stuart Symington, on Monday awarded small grants totalling $171,000 to 30 Nigerian community-based organisations covering 19 Nigerian states under the Ambassador’s Small Grants Programme.
The Ambassador’s Small Grants Programme was established as a programme for the overall US Mission in Nigeria to assist community groups located in cities to small villages to mount self-directed efforts to improve their socio-economic welfare.
For over two decades, the US Mission in Nigeria, through its small grants programme, has partnered with local non-governmental organisations (NGOs) throughout the country to fund small community-based initiatives.
The primary objective is to help people help themselves, ensuring that every project includes a strong element of community involvement, in order to maximise the sense of commitment by the communities involved and increase the likelihood that the project will succeed and prove to be sustainable.
This year, the grants will fund a variety of projects including the construction and provision of classrooms, health clinics, and community centres.
The ventures will enable communities to purchase food processing equipment, books, and classroom furniture.
Others include construction of boreholes and latrines.
Presenting the awards, Ambassador Symington told the recipient organisations to use the grants to better the lives of the members of their communities.
The Ambassador reminded them of the importance of Nigeria and their role in making her succeed.