You can find this by simply brainstorming, inquiring or observing a problem or need of the community, and deciding the best way to address the problem.
You can not want to win the state award of #100,000, and go for a project of buying one bag of rice for a motherless home. Am sure you can now understand what i meant when i said “tangible”. So make your project a good one.
Your probability of winning an award with your project depends largely on how well your project will affect and touch lives positively.
After discovering the problem and how to solve it, what next is a perfect and infallible plan to make the project work.
If it will require funds, see how you can sort for fund. Meet those that can buy into your idea and finance the project.
Nysc will not endorse the project if it’s going to be financed by you yourself.
You can meet your relatives, pastor, principal, landlord, traditional rulers, local Govt chairman or even the state government for this.
If it is tangible enough, they will finance it, to make names for themselves.
After getting a project, a plan and someone to finance, the next thing to do is, to write a proposal letter to NYSC state coordinator of the state through your Zonal Inspector (ZI), to get your project approved.
Immediately it is approved, start implementing your plan immediately.
See the things that are expected in your proposal:
- Title of the project. e.g building an health center for the community; building a school library; providing a portable water source e.t.c
- State the problem: this is stating in clear terms, the problems being faced as a result of the inavalability of what you have decided to provide. This could be gotten from either your observations or in your interaction with the people. For example, you can say the health problems, difficulty and future epidemic risk being faced as a result of inavalability of portable water in the community (That is if your project is providing a portable source of water).
- Duration: this is stating the likely period of time it will take your project to be finished and commisioned.in this case, i will advise you choose projects you will be able to finish within a year.
- Estimated budget on the project; this involves you writting out the estimated amount of money that is likely to go into the project.
- Source of fund; as i said earlier, Nysc will never approve a project that will be funded by you. So be wise and get someone to stand in as the sponsor even if its still your money that is being used.
Discouragement will surely come. Perhaps from yourself, peers, fellow corp members who are doing nothing but to sit and expect the monthly alawi, and many other things.
But let the prize keep you moving. Don’t let go of the vision.
In all your processes all the way, make sure you always let NYSC know as everything is going untill the project is completed.
Let them know when its done and fix a date with them for commissioning.
Make sure Nysc come to commission your project. That is why your project must be tangible. If it is not, they may not come to commission.
In the day of commissioning, write a letter to invite the Nysc officials, the traditional leaders and distinguished personalities of the community to grace the event.
Then wait for your project to be recommended for an award that will put good money in your bank account and as well as give you well-deserved recommendations.
To give you better insight and view into what am saying, these are some examples of the projects done including mine:
Mine:
I invited CBN to grant loan of 1-digit interest rate to farmers of three communities (around 90 farmers). I make CBN pay 40% of the interest for them. I supplied them with fertilizers at 50% subsidy.
I won the Local Govt and Zonal award, got nominated for State award and received lots of gifts from the farmers.
my friend as a law student help the set free of 3 prisoners who have being in remind and detention for 4 years. He cause their case to be revisited and they were set free.
He put them in a place to learn barbing and after then, opened a saloon for them. That is rehabilitation.
He won the state award and many awards from different sectors.
Olu:
He made the state Govt build a community hall for the community. He won Local Govt award.
Chiwendu:
As a lady, she organized the widows in the area, taught them some entrepreneurial skills like hair platting, soap making, cosmetics making, and also taught them how to market it. She was able to teach the women how to survive independently.
She won the Local Govt award with lots of gift when she was passing out.
Did a motorized bore hole for the community suffering from poor water supply
He won the state award
And many more…
Am posted to jigawa ,and the village does not have light, I want to embark on the project but its seems difficult to me,what do you think I should do