ST GEORGE’S, Grenada, CMC – Government has launched a program, Nation Builders, that will facilitate citizens’ involvement in building the country without the bureaucracy associated with state-funded community projects.
Orlando Romain, Public Relations Officer of the ruling National Democratic Congress and an advisor to the Government in the Creative Economy Ministry, explained that Nation Builders seeks to connect citizens, private sectors, and the government “seamlessly to engage in community-based activities.”
“So, for example, if I want to build a playground, instead of going to the ministry…there is an entity now that will facilitate that process for you to ensure that your projects are heard, recognized and that we channel it to the right ministry or agency for fast implementation. Nation Builders will also seek to collaborate with the private sector to ensure the effective execution of those projects,” he said.
Romain said that, as it stands, interaction with government agencies can be “quite bureaucratic and frustrating.”
“We have persons in the diaspora wanting to give back, wanting to contribute, and the process sometimes discourages and frustrates them,” he acknowledged.
Nation Builders will be a division under the Ministry of Mobilization, Implementation, and Transformation.
“The Division will foster an active civic involvement to empower individuals to participate in community projects for the nation’s development,” Romain said. “It will create a structural mechanism for the execution of community projects.”
The first project under the Nation Builders initiative is a Water Access and Sanitation in Homes (WASH) project piloted in the parish of St David, represented in the Lower House of Parliament by Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell.
“The WASH program is an initiative by the Government of Grenada to ensure that every household in the country has access to clean water and adequate sanitation facilities by 2027,” Mitchell said as he introduced the idea at a town hall meeting in the parish on Wednesday.
“We believe that access to clean water and adequate sanitation is a basic human right, and we are committed to making this a reality for every household in Grenada.”
He explained that the pilot would target 23 homes, and the owners would receive toilets and face basins. Volunteers will install them.
Under the previous New National Party administration, there was an equivalent project under the Ministry of Social Development. However, the construction work and installation were paid for by Government.
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