CH&PA reports benefits from collaboration with Canadian planners
THE Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) remains committed to the continuous improvement of communities through team work and empowerment, the     Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Myrna Pitt pledged. She was speaking at the recent closing ceremony of the three-year community planning partnership, between the Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP) and the CH&PA.
The Canada-Guyana Partnership for Community Planning Organisation has been in this country for that duration, working with several communities to implement projects, while, at the same time, fostering the wellbeing of vulnerable groups, including women, in rural areas.
This collaboration has resulted in capacity-building through training, as well as stimulating an improved planning environment and, in addition, the CH&PA has benefited from workshops in Canada.
Pitt said it included the introduction of planning which examined related issues and how they are addressed and approaches to the construction of homes with climate change in mind.
“We can say that some amount of co-learning took place. Capacity building also made a positive impact on partners with the larger system within which the CH&PA operates. We have the local and regional authorities, the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission which all benefited,” she explained.
According to Pitt,  partnering between CIP and CH&PA was necessary as the latter was seeking to improve the local community development process.
Through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) funded programme, interns were also assigned, under the youth internship programme, to lend support to CH&PA’s planning, in an effort to ensure that the objectives of the partnership were fulfilled.

BETTER UNDERSTANDING
Alluding to the benefits of the joint venture, Pitt expressed the view that, through the community planning and improvement process, a better understanding was developed for the roles that communities can play in improving their environment and their livelihoods.
To underscore the impact of the initiative, the CH&PA’s Community Development Specialist, Ms. Donell Bess-Bascom spoke of the successful engagements resulting from the implementation of the programme, including increased community participation in the planning process.
She said:“We are convinced that by bringing people together from different backgrounds and situations, community engagements can lead to enhanced community cohesion and, during the process, we can assist communities to build capacity. The CH&PA believes that community engagements can also assist organisations to develop their own capacity in working with communities.”
The CH&PA has been able to successfully engage 13 communities which are being developed with financing from the Inter-American Development Bank (IBD) under the Low Income Settlement (LIS) project
In his remarks, the Project Manager (Consultant) at 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, among them Belle West and Area ‘B’ Lusignan.
Four basic activities were undertaken under the project, including the production of community development plans; the support of process implementation; the training of personnel and the promotion of good, professional planning.