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Rural is Cool

We are creating rural communities of the future: circular, creative and empowered by rural women.

Rural is Cool Conference

An initiative designed to foster critical conversations and collaboration on rural development.

People Reached

Women Trained

Communities Reached

What we do

Durian engages women in rural communities in intensive training and activities which enables them to create change from within and reclaim their unique identity cum dignity.

Testimonials

Durian has helped me in a very big way to fulfill one of my dreams. I desire to learn how to sew school bags and souvenir and Durian helped me to get that for free and not just that they also gave me (jara) bonus of soap making. Durian taught us how to catch fish and not just how to eat fish.

I didn't know one can use fabric waste and plastic bags to make beautiful back packs! I am happy I learnt this new skill from Making a Difference Foundation. Now I am making money from this skill

I learnt how to make purse, earrings, and table mat from bottle corks. Thank you Making a Difference Foundation for teaching me. Now I can make some money from this

I have a training with Durian and the training is a wonderful one and also gained many things about the training. The training is very good. Keep it up. God Bless you.

I came to Durian to learn and gain many things. I now know about chicken and turkey and how to use the waste to make organic fertilizer. I still learned how to participate in cooperative groups and how to do businesses and make a profit out of it. I learned also about how to make black soaps and I enjoyed it.

I don’t know I can cope with the training in the first place but when I came to the training am so happy that I did the training at Durian. I learned a lot at Durian before I don’t know that I can stand on my own until I participated in the training at Durian.

Rural is Cool Conference

Welcome to The Rural is Cool Conference! An initiative designed to foster critical conversations and collaboration on rural development. The rural is cool conference is designed to discuss key issues affecting rural communities, such as climate change, Indigenous knowledge transfer, cultural integration, agriculture, rural waste and resource reuse, and business development, every year starting in 2025.

ITAJA

This itaja program is an initiative that helps with the equipping and furnishing of our rural women with the skill needed to thrive in the business space. During the program, they learn about the importance of business, bookkeeping, and what it takes to be an independent and striving business woman. Additionally, we educate them about their fundamental human rights, essence of good communications and family management.

TECH4SCHOOL

Tech4School, Durian’s ongoing in-school program delivered in partnership with WE ASPIRE YOUTH. Tech4School currently imparts essential life and soft skills such as time management, emotional intelligence, self-awareness, problem-solving, and financial literacy to students within formal school settings. It also introduces them to foundational IT skills, including computer components, the internet, and the World Wide Web.

RURAL RIGHT NETWORK

Rural Right Network is an initiative of the Durian Foundation committed to championing the rights and well-being of rural communities in Nigeria. Through a holistic approach that includes advocacy, capacity-building workshops, counseling, and community dialogues, the network seeks to empower individuals to understand, claim, and protect their rights.

RURAL FARM LAB

The Rural Farm Lab is Durian Foundation’s integrated center for sustainable agriculture, learning, and innovation in Igunsin Community, Nigeria. It brings together key initiatives like the Village Chicken Project, Cassava Farm Training, and Piggery Training into one dynamic space where rural women and youth access hands-on skills, leased farming plots, and climate-smart techniques tailored to their realities. Alongside training and small-scale processing, the Lab is laying the groundwork for an agro-tourism experience that will further promote rural enterprise and innovation.

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