Enhanced livelihoods and good governance rest upon a commitment to five fundamental human rights set out by Oxfam Novib, sponsor of ON Livelihoods and Governance (ONLAG):

1. Right to the resources for a sustainable livelihood. People must have access to indispensable resources like land and water. Unfair trade rules must abolished.

2. Right to basic social services. Everybody has the right to quality education and healthcare. The spread of HIV and AIDS must be halted.

3. Right to life and security. People hit by natural disasters, climate change or conflicts have a right to aid. The arms trade must be controlled.

4. Right to social and political participation. People must know their rights and be able to communicate their voice. Everybody’s involvement is needed for a just world.

5. Right to an identity. Nobody should be excluded on the basis of her or his identity. Women, indigenous people, gay men and lesbians, and the disabled have the same rights as anybody else.

In partnership with Oxfam Novib, LITE-Africa is working toward meeting the ONLAG project’s core objectives of (a) increasing civic engagement in community and local government issues, with particular emphasis on the participation of women and youth, and (b) strengthening current livelihoods and identifying alternatives means of sustainable livelihoods for 2,500 community members from Isoko South and Yenagoa Local Government Areas (LGA). Project activities include, but are not limited to, increasing the capacity and will of micro-lending institutions in providing community-level loans; providing participants with training in leadership, advocacy, and gender sensitivity, as well as livelihood issues; and creating networks for change and information flow.

Key to the success of the project is the involvement of community members in monitoring the project activities and providing ongoing information about community needs. As such, an Advisory Committee comprised of one community member from each LGA’s 5 communities plus two LGA representatives was formed. These 7-member Advisory Committees in Isoko South LGA and in Yenagoa LGA have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to the project goals and their communities.

The Oxfam Novib/LITE-Africa project is scheduled to run from 2009 to 2011. The project has been extended for an additional three years 2011-2014, the project has also been extended to 10 new communities in Warri North LGA and in Southern Ijaw LGA. This second phase of the project covers 20 total communities in Delta and Bayelsa States.