‘Model Village’ Initiative: Community committees will have to oversee upkeep, sustainability villages – Benn

As the Government moves to modernise communities across the country through its Model Village Initiative, Minister within the Ministry of Housing, Vanessa Benn, said residents will be required to establish committees to support the maintenance of infrastructure and the sustainability of other programmes being implemented.
“The intent is that the communities, the residents will form committees that will help to oversee certain things such as the maintenance and management of a play field, the coaches, the parents of the children who are there and so on, will come together,” she noted during the Starting Point podcast on Sunday. Earlier this month, President Dr Irfaan Ali launched the Model Village Initiative, initially targeting 23 communities across Regions Two through Six for comprehensive upgrades. These include improvements to roads, drainage networks, street lighting, green spaces, and recreational facilities. The initiative also expands beyond physical infrastructure to build comprehensive economic, social and environmental ecosystems in communities. According to Benn, work has already started in some communities. “Some of the work has started…some of those communities already would have had the enhancement of some of their roads that precedes this Model Village Initiative, the rollout of it. Doing the additional work now, starting the work on the drains, that has commenced in some of the communities,” she said. In other communities, she noted that preparatory works must first be done.
“The assessment of the utility poles, the installation of street lighting…where water lines need to be put…needs to be done before the road is constructed and improved,” the Minister noted. Meanwhile, Benn acknowledged that garbage collection and noise nuisance remain two of the most pressing concerns for residents in many communities, assuring that they will be addressed under the Model Village Initiative. In fact, she highlighted that during the consultations with residents, “practically every village that we went to, that was raised”. Nonetheless, she explained that every Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) across the country has been equipped with garbage trucks and President Ali has already issued a directive that collection schedules must be available for residents. Similarly, on noise nuisance, the Minister said “everywhere we went, persons are complaining about the noise nuisance”.

This issue, she noted, is being tackled in a holistic way through multiple stakeholders including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Guyana Police Force (GPF). Additionally, she noted that the Attorney General (AG) Chambers is working on amended legislation to better address the issue. Meanwhile, Benn said beyond the 23 communities identified for the first phase of the Model Village Initiative, other communities across the country will continue to benefit from improvements. “You will see that your roads are being improved, you will see greater efforts in terms of garbage collection…you will see the concrete drains being done. And so, the next phase will come and more villages will be included and the matter of when that will be will be announced in good time,” she outlined. The Model Village Initiative will be centred on four key pillars: connectivity, community, commerce and care. The initiative is being spearheaded by the Local Government and Regional Development Ministry alongside the Ministry of Housing, the Ministry of Public Works and the Ministry of Agriculture.