UGHELE women in Rendova, Western Province have highlighted their priority projects to be submitted to the South New Georgia Rendova and Tetepare (SNR&T) Constituency Office for funding consideration in 2025.
The projects are community water supply, sanitation and community hall.
The Ughele women representative Sharana Samuel highlighted these priority projects in her speech when the Member of Parliament for SNR&T Constituency, David Gina and his Constituency Development Officer (CDO) Douglas Alex visited Ughele village on New Year’s Day.
MP Gina and CDO Alex toured communities in the constituency to give Christmas and New Year funds for communities to celebrate the festive season and also listened to their priority projects and visions for 2025 and beyond.
At Ughele the delegation was welcomed by parading women who escorted them to the stage of the venue where the important meeting was held.
“We, the women in the Ughele community, would like to place our request for the prioritisation of certain projects and these are water supply and sanitation and community hall,” Mrs Samuel said.
Mrs Samuel said for the last few decades, no major developments such as the establishment of water supplies and sanitation have taken place in the community.
“We are currently handicapped in terms of water supply and women, youth and children are most affected,” she added.
Mrs Samuel said the entire community currently relies on deteriorating water supply outlets for its water needs.
“…water shortage in Ughele is an issue that needs proper feasibility analysis by a technical person so that its construction is more manageable to the livelihood of youths, women and children of the Ughele community.
“When water supply is properly constructed, then sanitation must be installed to each household,” she added.
Mrs Samuel said people resort to bushes, rivers, and streams to defecate due to the absence of proper toilets, which is an unhealthy practice.
On that note, she called on the SNR&T Constituency to upgrade the Community Hall for meetings, meals and other important activities for the community.
Responding to Mrs Samuel, CDO) Alex assured women in Ughele that a feasibility study for the construction of water supplies in Rendova will be conducted soon and all their project proposals will be submitted to the CDO Office for consideration and implementation.
“I want to assure you that Nick Silas will do the feasibility study for water supplies in Rendova. After all proposals are done, they will be submitted to the constituency office for implementation,” he said.
He said MP Gina and he himself see the need for the construction of water supplies in the SNR&T Constituency because they themselves grew up in the constituency and experienced what life has been like without access to good water supply.
Mr Alex told women in Ughele that in the process to implement their priority projects, MP Gina and he himself want the cooperation of all women to ensure their smooth implementation.
By LACHLAN SHYVES EDDIE
Solomon Star, Honiara
