Nine provincial governments will participate in the second phase of the Rural Development Program, which is being expanded to cover all rural wards in the country, with the signing of a memorandum of understanding last Friday.
The MOU was signed between the Ministry of Development Planning and Aid Coordination and the provincial governments of Guadalcanal, Malaita, Makira, Central Island, Western, Choiseul, Temotu and Rennell Bellona, the latest province to join RDP.
Since 2008 RDP has implemented a Community Driven Development (CDD)approach by providing grants to finance the highest priority development needs of rural communities.
RDP Program Manager Lottie Vaisekavea explains, under RDP, community members come together to decide on what they need, what they will contribute, how they will spend their grant and how they will maintain their community project.
Community initiatives have included building water supplies, classrooms, staff houses, clinics, solar charging stations, footbridges, community halls etc.
Over 200,000 people in eight provinces have benefited through 360 community projects from the first phase of RDP, between 2008 and the start of 2015.
