What Kind of Direct Grant Program Would Have The Greatest Impact?
A Food Grant

So, what is the nature of our direct grant program? We have determined that the most universal human need is the need to eat – i.e. the need for food. If one has adequate food (and water) each day, then assuming one can find shelter, then that person can likely continue to survive (assuming no debilitating disease or injury) without the absolute necessity of further income. That is core to our program for the elimination of extreme poverty. 

And to distinguish this grant program from others, we call it a Basic Food Grant or BFG. And as the need to eat is universal, we do not care if someone is rich or poor, we all have to eat. Our assumption is that by giving everyone a basic food allotment in the form of a BFG, we guarantee that nobody starves. The proverbial statement that a rising tide lifts all boats appropriately matches our strategy. So, how big a tide do we need?

As of December 2023, it is estimated that an adult in Nigeria will need to have at least two meals a day to obtain sufficient caloric intake, costing an average of around ₦1.000 per meal, or ₦2,000 per day. Using that metric, we will be granting each adult a BFG of ₦15,000 per week and each child a grant (less than 13 years old) of ₦10,000 per week (to be adjusted as needed due to the ongoing economy). To receive that BFG grant, residents of Enugu State (our first Nigerian state of 36) need only sign up to setup their voucher account by going here. 

The Biggest Direct Grant Program in History

Given that we have an unlimited supply of vouchers to apply to programs like the BFG, the Sustainable Communities Corporation (SCC), assisted by the Nigerian NGO, African Centre for Rural Development & Environment (ACERDEN) will be implementing the largest direct grant program in history, beginning in Enugu State, and expanding as rapidly as we can through the rest of Nigeria.  Enugu State has a population of nearly 6 million, with over 580 villages and townships. Providing a BFG to every citizen in Enugu State would constitute the largest direct grant program in history, let alone what would follow with the expansion throughout the rest of Nigeria, with its population exceeding 220 million people.

The Ripple Effect – Thousands of Microenterprises