Cultural Heritage Project- Nigeria

PROJECT SUMMARY:

Revitalizing Igbo Language initiative:

Lgbo Language is among the three official languages spoken by major indigenous tribes in Nigeria. Others are Hausa and Yoruba. The Nigerian official Lingwa-France is the English Language. Lgbo Language is spoken in the five states of the South-Eastern Nigeria. Because English Language was intensively used for instructions in both pre-school and primary school level, most of the children can not speak or learn in their mother tongue, Igbo Language.

This has affected the language because both adult and children have abandon the language and it is about to go into total extinction. The situate is also affecting the education of the children. The reason why children were failing to learn, progress and complete primary school was because of the early use of English Language as a medium of instruction. As a result, at home it became impossible for parents to effectively support their children schooling by motivating them or helping with home work as they too did not understand the main language of instruction.

Work still, children and adults who speak in Igbo language are discriminated against as not well to do people. People who studied Igbo Language in school, solemnly found job. Most of the higher instruction learning does not offer Igbo as a linguistic profession. Most of the children cannot greet in Igbo language because of lack of interest.

The Foundation is initiating action in collaboration with lgbo indigenous communities to revitalize lgbo language, preserve and sustain it. The project is targeted to benefit about 500000 children in Ehime Mbano IMo State, NIgeria. The initiative will be an inclusive participatory action plan by indigenous communities and stakeholders in the Ehime Mbano Local Government areas of State.

The project aims to achieve this through awareness-raising and capacity building involving the children, parents- a local research team of academies and village scholars, including five experimental centers.

Main Goal(s) of Project: To revitalize Igbo Language from total extinction.

To create Community Awareness and building Childhood/Youth Educational Development in Igbo Language.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES:

• Building the capacity of the communities through awareness raising about the benefit of mother tongue based education and cultural sustainability.
• Mobilizing partners for the program activities including indigenous community leader, local research team of academics and village scholars, parents and children.
• Carryout baseline language situation survey and project assessment and planning.
• Develop curriculum, using Igbo Language as a medium of instruction, which contains Local content, yet maintains educational standard.
• Create nd9genous language centres for pre-primary and primary age children and youths.
• Recruit and train bilingual volunteer teachers, writers, local culture experts and workshop facilitators.
• Community review of curriculum, educational and workshop materials.
• Build cooperation among governmental and non-governmental organizations, influential people in society and mass media for technical assistance.
• Set-up community members to oversee each level of activities. Each community has a centre management committee which has overall responsibility for managing, monitoring of activities at the centres.

 PROJECT ACTIVITIES:

• Building Capacity Awareness Raising Education, information Communication (EIC) material.
• Recruitment of scholars and language and cultural experts.
• Baseline language survey
• Development of curriculum using Igbo language
• Creation of five indigenous language centers
• Community review of curriculum. Conduct workshops
• Build cooperation with government and non- governmental agencies,
• influential people and the media
  • Set up community management committees in five centers

 How long will project take to complete?

The Project will be completed for two (2) years duration.

Who will participate in the Project?

The community stakeholders, local research team academics, parents and children, governmental ad non- governmental organizations, the mass media.

The stakeholders and participants will ensure successful implementation of the project to achieve the revitalization of Igbo Language to rescue it from total extinction.

Who will manage the Project and Why?

The Project will be managed by the community members and the XXXXX staff to ensure support, participation and community ownership.

What is the biggest challenge for completing this project?

• Some parents, government officials and educators do not value Learning Igbo Language, and challenge the development of bilingual education. They see English as the language of economy, the one that will help children pass exams, get a higher education, and provide a better economic future for their family.
• Changing the attitude, behavior of children to have interest in learning Igbo language.
• Ability to place resources in time for prompt completion of the project.

How will the project continue after GLF?

• The community and parental involvement will encourage and ownership of the project by the community. Advocacy at national, district and local level will enable policy makers to sponsor the improvement and sustainability of the project through continued financial assistance and support. The Fellowship And Foundation in collaboration with the community will continue to promote activities that will sustain the learning and teaching of Igbo language to save it from total extinction.

How will you measure the impact of the project?

• To measure the impact of the project, a monitoring and evaluation frame work based on devised logical frame work using……will be designed. This design will utilize knowledge, attitude and behavior e.g. (KAB) questionnaires, pre and post training and learning forms. The questionnaires form will contain number of activities per month, number of participant, topic treated and issue raised etc.