We Love Odi!

About Odi, Nigeria
Odi, a village on the Nun River in Bayelsa State of the Niger delta area in the federal republic of Nigeria had a pre-1999 population of 60,000 people as the second largest town in the state. It had boast of being the largest number of most educated people in the region. Unfortunately, in late 1999, a massive brigade of the Nigerian army invaded this historic town with a mandate to fish out local bandits for a national crime.

Tragically, Odi was completely wiped out in less than a day. Only three buildings were saved -a church, a bank and a public health center. Today, Odi remains underdeveloped, impoverish, highly and grossly unplanned. It is

a region that is in desperate need of recovery.

In late 2004, Earth Rights Institute started an eco-village in Odi to implement an eco-development and eco-restoration plan for the village to help eradicate poverty, reduce disparities in living conditions and manage development and the environment in a balanced and sustained manner. Since then, the site has been cleaned and prepared for the buildings, the earth bricks and the tiles have been created and the ecovillage team organized the training for young people to do the actual building.

In 2007, due to the April national elections, the program got paralyzed for months and is now in stand-by. Today, the Odi ecovillage needs $15,000 to be able to continue the construction of the buildings and their equipment in electrical wirings, toilets facilities, water provisions, doors and tables, etc.

Odi’s Sustainable Activities
Once the ecovillage will be running, the Living and Learning Center will be able to accommodate:
- various trainings and workshops
- ecotourism programs and housing
- aquaculture
- building services
- micro-credit loans
These activities will ensure Odi’s financial security.

Photo to the left: benefit dinner held in Los Angeles to raise funds for the ecovillage in Odi