Project summary

This project will test if AI can help to train, and mentor animal welfare advocates in Nigeria to learn and develop important practical advocacy skills.

The project will focus on early career advocates who have not or limited access to advocacy training, mentors and important advocacy materials to be active and effective advocates in Nigeria. They may include veterinarians, volunteers, researchers, veterinary students, NGO workers, and other people working on animal welfare in the country.

The essential part of the training will cover animal welfare, advocacy, policy communication, working with stakeholders, and campaign planning. The participant will be using real Nigeria situation for their practice. For example, they may practice talking to poultry farmers about cage-free farming, speaking with relevant authorities about animal-welfare policies, or explaining animal welfare issues to the general public.

The AI will be used as the main learning and practice tool through out the project. Participant will use it to better understand the lessons, test their ideas, practice conservation, and get feedback. They can still use AI to find evidence, understand the various stakeholders’ views, develop their campaign strategies, and develop their messages for diverse listeners or audiences. The human facilitators will only check the training content and help when AI gives wrong or incomplete answers.

We will also collect examples of animal-welfare problems and possible solutions from Nigeria. Expert trainers will check these examples to make sure they are correct and useful. In the future, these examples could help AI systems better understand animal-welfare issues in Nigeria and other African countries.

The first group of 30 participants will help us see if AI can improve animal-welfare advocacy training in Nigeria. What we learn from the project will also help us decide if the programme can be used in other African countries.

What are this project's goals? How will you achieve them?

1. Test if AI can help people learn advocacy skills.

Participants will use AI as their tutor and practice partner throughout the 12-week training.
We will compare their advocacy skills before and after the programme to see if they improve.

2. Create a training model that can be used again.

We will compare participants’ skills before and after the training and ask what AI activities were useful.
We will use the results and expert feedback to improve the training model and decide if it should be used with more advocates.

3. Help 30 Nigerian animal-welfare advocates improve their skills.

The 12-week training will teach participants how to understand research, make advocacy plans, talk to decision-makers, and communicate with different people.
They will practise these skills using real animal-welfare problems in Nigeria.

How will this funding be used?

The funding will be used for project coordination and administration which will cover project planning, communication, team management, reporting, and financial record. It will also be used for AI tools and technical support which will cover access to AI tools, technical support, and creating prompts and practice activities. A significant portion of the fund will be use to support participants which include stipend, internet and data costs, learning materials, and other costs that help participants complete the programme. It will also be used for developing training materials and expert review which will cover practice activities, and expert review.

The fund will also be used for evaluation which include pre-project and post-project survey, and analyse how AI supported the project. It will also cover collecting and organising selected examples of how participants use evidence and reasoning to address animal-welfare issues. Experts will review these examples.

Finally, the funding will be used for reporting and sharing result of the project.

You can find the detail budget here. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1uoq7VkDbw-gxp5X4WcRvU445rzrSQyqDK1I8P0BpRC8/edit?usp=sharing

Who is on your team? What's your track record on similar projects?

The project will be carried out by the existing team at Veterinarians for Animal Welfare Initiative (VAWI). It will be led by Dr. Sadiq Surajo, Founder and Executive Director. https://www.vawinitiative.org/team.php

Core team

• Dr. Sadiq Surajo — Founder / Executive Director: He will lead the project, manage partnerships, guide the training, and oversee the project.

• Dr. Jamilu Muhammad — Program Manager: He will organise the training, manage participants, and support the programme.

• Dr. Christopher Danladi — Media & Communications Officer: He will support communication training, communication with participants, and sharing project results.

• Dr. Yunusa Musa — Community Engagement Officer: He will work with stakeholders and help develop animal-welfare examples from local communities.

• Dr. Luqman Ibrahim Amaya — Field Coordinator: He will organise practical activities and field-based advocacy exercises.

• Dr. Goodness George A. — Program Assistant: She will support training, participants, and daily programme activities.

• Abdullahi Musa — Volunteer Coordinator: He will support volunteer recruitment and participant activities.

• Hauwa'u Muhammad — Admin & Finance Officer: She will manage finances and administrative work.

• Dr. Abubakar M. Tilde — Partnership Engagement Officer: He will support work with external organisations and partners.

• Dr. Marwan Bature — Monitoring & Evaluation Officer: He will manage the tests before and after training, collect data, and evaluate the project.

We will also work with an AI or technical consultant to help us choose AI tools, develop prompts and learning activities, and check how well the AI supports the training. VAWI does not currently have an AI specialist on its team.

What are the most likely causes and outcomes if this project fails?

There are many risks associated with the project.

1-      The participant may not use AI efficiently and regularly: If this happens, we may not assess the effectiveness of the AI in advocacy training. To mitigate this, the participants will be train on how to use AI tools effectively.

2-      AI may give incorrect or poor advice: if this happens, the participants may not have the desired information or training needed for effective advocacy. To mitigate this, human facilitators will cross check the AI information and make input or corrections were necessary.

3-       The training may be too difficult or time-consuming: If this happens, it shows that the training is new and in trial stage, and it requires more training. To mitigate this, we will make the training flexible and seamless.

4-      Participant may drop out: if this happens, it will reduce the efficiency of the project. to mitigate the failure, we will develop a reserve list of the applicant and replace the drop out participants with candidates on the list.

If these problems still occur, the project may not show that AI improves advocacy skills. We will document the results and use them to decide whether the approach should be changed, tested again, or not scaled.

How much money have you raised in the last 12 months, and from where?

In the last 12 months, Veterinarians For Animal Welfare Initiative (VAWI) have raised $59,250 in grant funding for three organizations.

1- $58,000: From EA animal welfare Fund to support our pilot project on cage-free campaign in Northern Nigeria,

2- $500: From the Pollination Project to support our project on Humane Transport Awareness Campaign in Bauchi State, Nigeria.

3- $750: From the Hatchery Fund donated by Zuzana Sperlova to support our Veterinarians for Animal Welfare Activism Experiment project.