– Minister Irfaan Ali
IMPLEMENTATION of the just concluded three-year Canadian Community Development Project has brought tremendous benefits to all stakeholders, and, more importantly, to Guyanese. Housing and Water Minister Irfaan Ali made this pronouncement on Tuesday March 6, during the closing ceremony of the venture, which was facilitated by The Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP) and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) through the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA).
This project has resulted in several public sector professionals and community leaders being trained in the area of capacity-building, and has caused establishment of several community development plans.
According to Minister Ali, the comprehensive project was implemented using best practices and it has served as an indicator of empowerment to people, particularly at the community level.
He said: “This project would have gone a long way in bridging the gap between the policymaker and the beneficiary, which created an opportunity for the sharing of information and ideas… It has also enabled the staffers of the CH&PA to move more progressively and implement a new system of management.”
Ali noted that transfer of knowledge was not only at the human resources level, but also at the technological level, as a Geographic Information System (GIS) was also implemented at the CH&PA to design, store and manage geographical data at the CH&PA.
Additionally, over the last three years of the project’s implementation period, several personnel from the Housing Ministry were trained in Canada, thereby enhancing their qualifications.
Alluding to the advantages of this project, Minister Ali said, “We have been able to build robust human capabilities, which is critical in the future of planning in Guyana… We are happy that we were able to partner with Canada, as it has helped to strengthen the internal capacity of the CH&PA, better equipping us to establish a new culture of community development.”
In closing, he extended gratitude to the Government of Canada, CIDA, and the Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP) for their efforts in making the project successful. He also expressed hope that the project would be extended.
Meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer at the CH&PA, Ms. Myrna Pitt, noted that the partnership among Guyana, CIDA and CIP started at a time when the authority’s focus intensified at the community level, thereby enabling the project to aid in the design and participatory approach for guiding investments.
Hghlighting some of the many benefits of the initiative, Pitt explained that a tool-kit was developed to serve as an important ingredient in future planning and implementation of projects. This, she said, has been a very important reference tool which outlined the method that can be used in the approach to community engagement, as the Authority strengthened its thrust towards participatory planning. She also recognised the many benefits of transfer of skills and knowledge garnered through the project.
“We now have staff with enhanced levels of skills and knowledge as a result of training undertaken by the professionals. We can also speak of capacity-building through knowledge transfer,” Pitt announced.
In his remarks, the Project Manager (Consultant) at the Canadian Institute of Planners and Directors, Mr. Michel Frojmovic, outlined the purpose of the project, and touched on its benefits, particularly in areas where aspects of the project were executed; in Belle West, WBD and in Area ‘B’, Lusignan, ECD.
Four basic activities were undertaken under the project: production of community development plans; support of process implementation; training of personnel; and promotion of areas of good professional planning.
Coordinator of the project, Jose Canjura, said that of the many achievements the project has initiated thus far, the Community Development Micro-Project at Belle West and Lusignan Area ‘B’, of which Cdn$6000 were injected, have seen tremendous results.
At Lusignan, the project aided in financing a playfield for children in the community and erecting a sign, while community members of Belle West completed a training course in catering at the Carnegie School of Home Economics. The Multi-Purpose Centre in the area was also furnished.
“We are all happy to see a great level of community participation, as there were significant engagements being done at the community level,” Canjura said.
Nolle Readie, and Nadia Harriprashad, representatives of Belle West and Lusignan respectively, expressed their gratitude for the implementation of the project, and for the benefits accruing to their communities.