Major Rural Drive Targets 15 Communities with Tools and Upgrades

Fifteen rural communities didn’t just show up on Monday afternoon, they walked away with tools, equipment, and a clearer path toward self-reliance. In a move officials say reflects a more hands-on approach to rural development, government representatives partnered directly with village councils and water boards, rolling out lawnmowers, weed eaters, culverts, and water meters in a single, large-scale distribution effort. The initiative also targets everyday needs: keeping public spaces clean, improving access along farmers’ roads, and strengthening local infrastructure. But what set this event apart was its scale. Instead of the usual handful of villages, the Ministry of Rural Transformation brought together fifteen at once, a deliberate shift. For Director of Rural Development Charles Galvez, the goal goes beyond maintenance, it’s about helping communities take control of their own growth.

 

Charles Galvez, Director of Rural Development

“We have fifteen communities present today. We have water boards and village councils. The village councils are receiving maintenance equipment, including lawnmowers and weed eaters. Four village councils are receiving maintenance equipment to be used to maintain community grounds within the respective communities. Simultaneously, we are distributing water meters for expansion purposes and, also, what that does is that it helps water boards to become self-sustaining through proper water management, increase of revenue and then they would be able to make investment back in their respective communities. Also, we have some culverts which will be used within the respective communities, for areas where we do farmers’ roads programs.”

 

Valentino Shal, CEO, Ministry of Rural Transformation

“This is a very clear indication of how a government works together with its people, and that’s what we are about. And I was thinking, you know, on the way here, usually, we do this here, we have like three, four, maybe even five villages. So, we decided that this time we’re going bigger and just do fifteen villages in one go and that’s because we don’t want to leave any village behind. Every village in this country is important, every rural community in this country is important and we had seen, before 2020, how the rural areas of the country were.”

 

 

Rural communities are getting a hands-on boost, with new tools, upgraded water systems, and road support aimed at helping villages drive their own progress.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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