• Image field 1

  • AFRIQUE CONSORTIUM COMMUNITY LISTENING SURVEY

  • Rooted Together · Rising as One
    A decolonial approach to listening before programme design, grounded in the knowledge of communities across Nigeria
    Listening before deciding ◆ Recognising before claiming ◆ Sharing before controlling

  • Dear friend and community member,

    Thank you for giving us your time. This is not a test, and there are no right or wrong answers. You are not here as a “respondent”. You are here as someone who holds knowledge about your own life and community that no outsider can hold for you.

    The AFRIQUE Consortium is a partnership of four community-rooted initiatives working across Nigeria. We believe that good programmes cannot be designed from a distance. They begin by listening. This survey asks about the strengths that already exist where you live, the barriers that get in the way, and what kind of support — if any — you would want to shape together with us. It touches on learning, digital access, livelihoods and community participation.

    Nigeria is not one story. Experiences differ across its geopolitical zones, between towns, villages and riverine communities, and between women, men, young people and elders. We want to hear all of those voices. It should take about 10–15 minutes, and you may finish it over more than one sitting.

  • “Only the person who wears the shoe knows where it pinches.” — AFRICAN PROVERB

  • AFRIQUE Consortium · Community Listening Survey · Page 1

  • OUR PROMISES TO YOU

    1. It is your choice. Taking part is voluntary. You may skip any question or stop at any time, with no consequence for you or your community.
    2. You do not need to give your name. Answer in the language you are most comfortable with. A facilitator can read questions aloud or translate if you wish.
    3. Your answers are held in trust. They are used only for research and programme design, stored securely, never sold, and never shared in a way that identifies you or your community without your agreement.
    4. Communities see the findings first. We will share what we learn back with communities, and listen to your response, before findings are published or used to make decisions.
    5. Your words remain yours. If we retell your story, we will do so with dignity and consent, crediting or protecting you as you choose, and showing strength as well as struggle.

  • YOUR AGREEMENT

  • I have understood the promises above, and I agree to take part in this survey.

    I would like to ask some questions before I decide.

  • SECTION ONE-About You and Your Community

  • Why we ask: So we can understand differences between places and groups — never to rank or judge anyone. Every question in this survey is optional.
  • 1. What is your age?
  • 2. How do you describe your gender?
  • 3. Which geopolitical zone do you live in?
  • 4. What kind of community do you live in?
  • 5. Which languages do you use most in daily life? Select all that apply
  • 6. If you wish to share: what is your highest level of formal schooling? Formal schooling is only one of many ways people learn, and says nothing about a person's wisdom.
  • 7. Where have you learned the things that matter most to you? Select all that apply

  • SECTION TWO- The Strengths Already in Your CommunityWhy we ask: Communities are not empty spaces waiting to be fixed. We begin with what is already strong, so that no programme arrives as if starting from nothing.

  • 8. What are the greatest strengths of your community? Select up to three
  • 9. When people in your community face a problem, who do they usually turn to first? Select all that apply
  • 9. Which groups, leaders or organizations are most influential in your community?
  • 10. Are there community groups or networks that already support young people?

  • SECTION THREE- Community Realities and Barriers

  • Why we ask: Challenges are rarely a personal failing. We ask where barriers come from so that programmes can address their causes, not blame people for them.
  • 12. Which challenges most affect people in your community? Select up to three
  • 13. How would you describe the opportunities available to young people in your community?
  • 14. Who is most often left out of opportunities in your community? Select all that apply
  • 15. What kinds of support would help your community most? Select up to three. You know best — we are asking, not assuming.

  • SECTION FOUR- Digital Access and Participation

  • Why we ask: Technology should serve communities, not the other way round. We want to know about access, but also about what makes digital spaces feel safe, useful and your own.
  • 16. What access do you have to digital devices? Select all that apply
  • 17. How reliable and affordable is your internet access?
  • 18. How confident are you using digital tools?
  • 19. Which digital skills would you like to strengthen? Select all that apply
  • AFRIQUE Consortium · Community Listening Survey · Page 5
  • 20. What would make online learning and digital spaces feel like they belong to you?Select up to three

  • SECTION FIVE- Livelihoods and the Work That Counts

  • Why we ask: Much of the work that sustains families and communities is unpaid or unseen. We want to recognise all of it, not only formal jobs.
  • 21. What best describes your work or occupation right now?Select all that apply
  • 22. Do you do work that sustains your family or community but is rarely paid or recognised?For example: caregiving, organising, mediating, translating, teaching others.
  • 23. In which areas would you like to see more opportunities?Select all that apply
  • 24. What gets in the way of better economic opportunities for you?Select all that apply

  • SECTION SIX- Learning and Sharing KnowledgeWhy we ask: Learning flows in many directions. Elders, peers, practitioners and young people all teach. We want to build on how your community already learns.

  • 25. How do you prefer to learn? Select all that apply
  • 26. What most often gets in the way of joining a learning programme? Select up to three

  • SECTION SEVEN- Experiences of Programmes and TrustWhy we ask: Many communities have been surveyed, photographed and promised things by outsiders. We want to know what that has been like, so we can do better.

  • 28. Have you ever taken part in a development programme, NGO project or research study?
  • 29. If it was difficult, what went wrong? Select all that apply, or skip if this does not apply to you
  • 29. Reasons/Issues (continued)
  • 30. What makes you trust a programme and want to take part?Select up to three

  • SECTION EIGHTYour Vision and Our Accountability

  • Why we ask: This is the part that matters most. Tell us where you want to go, how you want to be involved, and how we can stay answerable to you.
  • 31. Would you take part in future AFRIQUE Consortium programmes?
  • 32. If we work together, how would you want to be involved?Select all that apply
  • 34. How would you like to hear what we learned from this survey?Select all that apply

  • “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” — AFRICAN PROVERB

  • CLOSING REFLECTION

  • Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience. What you have told us is not data to be taken away. It is a trust placed in us. We will return, share what we have heard, and ask whether we heard you rightly. Programmes that grow from this will be designed with communities, informed by evidence and your lived realities, and answerable to you.

    Rooted Together · Rising as One

  •  
  • Should be Empty: