The Local Rights Programme (LRP) represents one of ActionAid Nigeria’s most enduring commitments to community-led development and social justice. In 2003, the programme was initiated after a comprehensive baseline survey revealed an urgent need to address the challenges associated with poverty in thirteen communities. Uniquely designed to unleash the potential of community members, LRP has
enabled them to play pivotal roles in decision-making processes that affect their lives and collective well-being. Through continuous capacity building, local rights programme strengthens community members to confront prevailing challenges head-on, transforming them from mere onlookers to active responders in developing their communities.
Over the last 16 years, the local rights programme in Delta State implemented in partnership with Environmental and Rural Mediation Centre (ENVIRUMEDIC) has worked across 13 communities in Ughelli North, Ughelli South, and Ndokwa East Local Government Areas. Together, these communities have been part of a transformative journey that shifted them from invisibility to influence. They have organised, advocated, and built social structures that now serve as engines for sustained development.
Through this programme, children moved from sitting on bare floors to sitting at desks under solid roofs. Women who once had no voice in community decision-making are now leaders in cooperatives and social audit committees. Health centres that were once abandoned are now functional. And most importantly, community members are no longer passive recipients of aid, they are active
participants in shaping their futures. These outcomes were made possible through a unique blend of community sponsorship funding, technical support, strategic advocacy, and deep partnerships. Through the generous contributions of our funding affiliates, ActionAid UK and ActionAid Italy, the LRP has demonstrated how long-term, flexible funding can deliver profound change.
As a strategic unit within ActionAid Nigeria, the LRP intervention has not only focused on service delivery but also on building people’s agency. Through a combination of capacity building, rights awareness, movement building, and systems strengthening, the LRP contributes directly to ActionAid’s ten-year strategy aimed at deepening democracy, achieving gender justice, and advancing sustainable development.
This compendium captures those stories, the stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things when given the space, tools, and trust to lead. It showcases the very essence of what the LRP stands for: that power truly lies in the people As we reflect on the journey in Delta State, we are reminded that this is only the beginning. The lessons, structures, and spirit built through the LRP will continue to guide communities long after formal programmes end. And ActionAid Nigeria remains committed to supporting the next generation of people-powered transformation wherever justice calls.
Suwaiba Muhammad Dankabo
Deputy Country Director/Director of Programme and Policy
ActionAid Nigeria