Community Resource Centre, Ilora

Building Educational Infrastructure and Youth-Friendly Spaces in Rural Nigeria

A Story of Hope, Learning, and Possibility

In many rural and semi-urban parts of Nigeria, the absence of youth-friendly spaces and educational infrastructure leaves children and young people struggling. Schools are overcrowded, homes are marked by poverty, and growth opportunities are scarce. For children in Ilora, a community of more than 150,000 people, there was no public library, no youth centre, and no safe space where they could learn, dream, and prepare for their futures.

This reality meant that many students struggled to succeed in crucial national exams like WAEC and JAMB. With limited study materials, no structured after-school programs, and little access to mentorship or career guidance, they were often left without the tools needed to thrive. For many others, the lack of vocational training opportunities meant that unemployment became their only option.

Before the Centre: Why Things Weren’t Working?

Public schools existed, but they were overwhelmed with the experiences of crowded classrooms, underfunded resources, and children carrying the weight of household poverty. Community-based learning efforts occasionally appeared but were usually underfunded and unsustainable. There was no place for students to prepare for higher education, no structured skill acquisition and mentorship spaces for youths, and no deliberate program designed for youth mentorship. It is a tale of a continuous poverty cycle.

Africa-RII’s Response: The Journey towards a Community Hub

In 2020, Africa Rural Intervention Initiative (Africa-RII) decided to act. Through a combination of crowdfunding and support from friends and family, about €3,000 was raised to repurpose a former Chief Stephen Titilola Ajayi’s family home. What was once a decaying and relatively abandoned building slowly transformed into something new: a community resource centre filled with basic books, opportunities, and hope.

By March 2021, the Ilora Community Resource Centre officially opened its doors to the public. Staffed with NYSC (National Youth Service Corps) members, a facility manager, a cleaner, and a night guard, the centre began as a simple library, and it is quickly growing into something much more… At the moment, the spaces functions as :
1. a conducive reading and book-lending space (library) in the local community

Skill acquisition centre with mentorship programme towards self-reliance for secondary school leavers and non-literate youths in the community
A safe space for children, youths, and women exposed to structural violence

Year by Year: Our Journey so far

August -December 2020 – Planting the Seed

At the peak of the global COVID-19 lockdown, when normal life and learning were disrupted, the founder of Africa-RII began to envision a space that could outlive the crisis; a Community Resource Centre in Ilora. With schools closed and the annual free summer school program cancelled for the year, the idea was to create a permanent home where children and youths could always find opportunities to learn, grow, and connect.

Together with friends Valerie Gruber and Timo Gerhardt at the University of Bayreuth, a GoFundMe campaign was launched with a target of €6,000 to renovate and convert the Stephen Titilola Ajayi family house in Ilora into the Centre. In the end, almost €3,000 was raised through different sources: nearly €2,000 from the GoFundMe drive, an additional €500 donation from the youth organisation Katholische Landjugendbewegung Dachau (KLJB), and another €500 contributed during project execution by Oladapo Ajayi.

Although the original vision could not be fully realised at that stage, the project was delivered in a functional form, with the library section becoming operational as the heart of the Centre. Through wide consultations in the community and the generosity of the descendants of Stephen Titilola Ajayi, the abandoned family house was entrusted to Africa-RII. What was once a dilapidated building began its transformation into a viable public property, marking the first step toward a lasting hub of learning and empowerment for the Ilora community.

2021 – Opening the Doors

In March 2021, the Resource Centre officially opened its doors to the Ilora community. From the very beginning, it became more than a library; it complemented the community’s free four-week summer school programs, offering an extramural learning experience that extended beyond classrooms and gave students a safe, welcoming place to learn all year round.

Later that year, the Centre took another important step forward. With the €2,000 Klaus-Dieter Wolff Prize of Rotary Club Bayreuth-Eremitage, awarded to the founder of Africa-RII, Oladapo Opeyemi Ajayi, at the University of Bayreuth in October 2021, the library acquired its first three desktop computers and a collection of additional books. This addition marked the beginning of digital learning opportunities for students and youths in Ilora, opening access to digital skills and resources and in this year 134 community members used the resource center.

2022 – Beyond Books: Learning New Skills

The centre became more than just a library. Alongside the sustained activities of book reading and lending, the very first vocational training program was launched in partnership with Prof. Peju Layiwola’s Women and Youths Arts Foundation.

Young people and women gathered to learn practical, creative skills, from Tye & Dye to resin jewellery making, opening doors to entrepreneurship and self-reliance. This marked a turning point for the Resource Centre, as the community began to see and use the space for more than books. It had become a place where knowledge, creativity, and opportunity met. In this year, 299 people used the community resource center

2023 – Growth and Continuity

The Centre’s growth continued steadily in 2023. Thanks to the generous book donations from Mr. Tolulope Oke, the library’s collection expanded, giving students even more access to diverse learning resources.

Beyond reading, the Centre became a reliable hub for after-school and weekend study sessions, where visiting students found quiet, supportive spaces to learn. The newly introduced computers were now in active use, with students practising basic digital skills such as Microsoft Word and introductory graphic design. By the end of the year, the Resource Centre had welcomed nearly 235 community members, a testament to its growing role as both a place of learning and a springboard for opportunity in Ilora.

2024 – Building Beyond Challenges

In 2024, the Centre made modest but meaningful strides forward. With a €500 donation from Katholische Landjugendbewegung Dachau (KLJB), a public toilet that had been initiated but left incomplete during the 2020 renovation phase was finally completed, improving the Centre’s facilities for community members. Attendance at the Center dropped due to renovations however 89 community members used the Community Resource Center.

2025 – Flourishing Pathways

In April, the library received a donation of books from Rev. Oladotun Ajayi, including titles in law, leadership, finance, and the Christian faith. The year also marked the launch of the Sisters’ Club Project. Its first edition, held in May, provided a safe and inspiring space for young women to build confidence, leadership, and solidarity.

Meanwhile, the fifth edition of the summer school programme expanded into a multi-sited format for the first time. Students engaged in academic studies as well as extracurricular activities such as chess, hairdressing, barbing, soap making, computer training, and graphic design. To complement these, film screenings and a book club were introduced, offering students new avenues for curiosity and shared learning. In August, the Centre also received a projector from Dr. Kola Olayiwola, enhancing its capacity for film shows, workshops, and collective learning sessions.