A total of $3.7 million worth of livelihood projects have been delivered to communities and churches of East Makira Constituency (EMC) as of last week.
This support delivery was funded under the EMC’s Constituency Development Funds (CDF) allocation for 2024.
Project Materials and equipment were delivered under four main categories in compliance with the CDF Act 2023. These include;
• Productive Sector $1,789,803 – comprised of farm equipment and tools for farmers, Fisheries projects, and agriculture projects.
• Essential services $752,873 – include Starlink and solar equipment for 11 community high schools in EMC, Transportation (Outboard Motor Engines), and support to education tertiary level through school fee assistance.
• Cross-Sectoral $461,232 – consists of income-generating livelihood projects and support to women’s association income-generating projects
• Social & Cultural $776,000 – include hardware materials for 11 churches (CDF support to Church Funds) and church funding support for church activities.
The assistance was part of the ongoing efforts and commitment by the EMC office under the leadership of the Member of Parliament Honourable Franklyn Derek Wasi towards improving rural communities’ livelihood through CDF as aligned with the constituency’s development plan.
This support aims at boosting the productive sector, mainly for projects under the agriculture and fisheries sub-sectors and as well as people’s livelihood.
Honourable Wasi, MP, who is also the current Minister for the Ministry of Agriculture & Livestock (MAL), expressed satisfaction in delivering these projects, emphasizing that this is just the beginning of many bigger assistance and initiatives in the future.
Hon. Wasi further emphasized that the importance of these projects is targeted more towards improving people’s livelihood in rural communities and also safeguarding long-term development in the constituency.
The delayed project delivery was related to the late disbursement of CDF funds by the Government last year. However, despite the challenges, the EMC office remains committed and ensures all necessary processes and procedures were followed to deliver to the constituents of East Makira.
A significant portion of the materials being delivered is earmarked for churches that have been disregarded for many years.
Hon. Wasi, while stressing the importance of supporting churches in EMC, said, “churches are the foundation of peace and stability within our communities. Funding for these church projects is sourced from both the Government Church Fund through the Ministry of Traditional Governance and the CDF through the Ministry of Rural Development.”
Meanwhile, Hon. Wasi calls on recipients to take good care of the assistance they receive through projects for their benefit.
Under the new CDF Act 2023, project recipients are required to sign a Project Release Form and a Recipient Agreement Form. These are important documents as they will be utilised by the MRD for project monitoring and accountability purposes.
EMC Project Officer Jonas Kurio accompanying project deliveries to ensure all necessary documentation is completed during the distribution process.
Hon. Wasi assured the people of EMC that more assistance would be provided once the 2025 CDF funding is available.
Hon. Wasi said he is confident of the support from communities, constituents, and his constituency officers and said he remains committed to support and continue to pursue development initiatives for the betterment and well-being of the people of East Makira.
Project materials and equipment were transported to Makira/Ulawa via the MV Ocean Joy, which left Honiara last week on Sunday, 16 March.
Hon. Wasi, MP, is currently in his constituency, having discussions with community leaders, communities, and constituents on major development initiatives for the constituency in the future.
Constituents and the public are encouraged to consult their respective constituency offices should they need to get more information about how their constituency offices implement their Constituency Development Program (CDP).
Constituency Development Program is a national programme of the Solomon Islands Government (SIG) administered by the Ministry of Rural Development (MRD).
It is implemented by the 50 constituencies in the country purposely to improve the socio-economic livelihoods of Solomon Islanders.
