Taking a Look at the Impact of Grassroots Leadership

THE community of Laluni is among the many Guyanese villages experiencing swift and tangible change. From bold, innovative housing plans to collaborative efforts in revolutionising agriculture, Laluni is working harder than ever to preserve what works for them while breaking new ground. This week, Pepperpot Magazine took a trip to the community of Laluni, where community leader Julian Mohabir shared the major strides made in recent times, their next bold steps, and what kind of impact they hope it will have on their community in the long run.

Located several miles off the Soesdyke turn, the community of Laluni is well known as an agricultural hub, with Guyana’s leaders investing significantly in developing the sector. As a result, agriculture has been thriving so far. However, while farming continues to reach new heights, the community is also working to develop other sectors, with housing being the most recent focus. More people continue to make their way to Laluni, settling down and contributing to the growing population. This is why the community council has been working to help people complete their homes. However, with almost 700 people, the community council has devised a unique plan to ensure that the village’s resources reach those most in need.

Chairman of Laluni’s Community Development Council, Julian Mohabir, says that the community councillor is taking a different approach than simply building houses. Following the Guyana National Toshao’s Conference, the community is utilising some $3 million to help develop the homes of those most in need. As Mohabir explained, “We got $3 million dollars, and this is for housing and to assist who is in need when it comes to housing. So we have sixty people who that money is going towards to help with housing. So far, we have windows, cement, steel rod — a number of other things, construction material,” he shared.

The initiative, spearheaded by the community council, aims to assist approximately sixty community members. But equally distributing the community’s wealth is also a major pillar for the council. Instead of building a house for one family, the council developed a transparent vetting process to fairly identify the most vulnerable residents. As Mohabir explained, “We, as a council, picked sixty people. We did an assessment, because it’s $3 million, so instead of picking one person and building a house for them we went through the community and saw who needed help. So we selected 60 people and invited them to a meeting and asked them what they needed. Some people asked for zinc for their roofs. So we did the estimated cost and we buy half of what they needed. If someone needs a roof, we buy half,” he shared.

Much of this work is a direct result of Laluni’s engagement at the National Toshao’s Conference that took place earlier this year — one of Guyana’s most effective and impactful platforms for national development. There, Mohabir said his community made calls for what they needed most, and now they are seeing those calls being answered. “At the conference, we asked for help with fixing the bridge; we also asked for a four-wheel bike, boat and engine, and then we asked for assistance for farmers. We got plenty of farming tools, things like chainsaws, brush cutters and some farming materials,” he shared.

But development hasn’t stopped there. In a community where nearly everyone is a farmer, Laluni is also striving to enhance its agricultural output. Laluni is working to ensure it not only remains an agricultural hub but also aims to develop even further. With seasonal flooding often threatening crops, the village has pushed for infrastructure upgrades to protect farmlands. “Almost everybody in the community is a farmer, but officially, we have around 250 farmers,” he further added. “Around this time of the year, rainy season, a lot of farmers in Laluni complain about flooding because last year we had a problem with drainage. But this year, the government fixed it — they cleaned all the canals and the creek.”

Going further, Mohabir explained that the funding for this project, although coming directly from the government, is left entirely up to the community for allocation. Highlighting plans for this year’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) fund, he shared, “We received $24 million LCDS fund. One of the projects we want to do from that fund is to help farmers. So we have budgeted $9 million dollars to help farms with fertilisers and drugs. And then we want to buy some small excavators for the farmers in Laluni Creek.” He further added, “Also from the fund, we assist schoolchildren in going to school. We have two buses that run from Laluni to Yarrowkabra and back,” he said.

The Laluni council demonstrates the impact of smart, inclusive leadership. By engaging residents, distributing resources fairly, and planning with a long-term vision, the community is setting a powerful example. As local leaders, Laluni’s councillors are striving to cultivate a happy community, with development happening across the board and for every resident. Simple additions, such as implementing school buses, continue to have a ripple effect on the people of Laluni. “The funding, like the LCDS fund, has helped a lot because it has been almost two years that the children of Laluni are going to school for free. That has been a big saving on the parents’ pockets. They have more money and they do not have to worry so much about how their children are going to get to school,” he said.

Communities like Laluni show that while national leadership is vital, real transformation often begins at the local level, with leaders who spearhead small-scale programmes that have a big impact — by listening to the needs of a community they too call home.