30 Region One youths trained in water system management

Thirty Community Support Officers (CSOs) in Moruca, Region One on Tuesday concluded a training on water system management to equip them with technical skills to maintain water systems across the sub-region. The training was made possible through a collaboration between the Ministry of Housing and Water and the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs.

According to the Ministry of housing and water, over the course of the training, the youths were exposed to practical and theoretical training in areas of water distribution, water sample collection and militance of photovoltaic systems. The training lasted for two days and was hosted at the Moruca administrative division building. The ministry also noted that other trainings will be conducted.

Maurice Torres, a Village Councillor in the largest community in the Moruca sub-region, Santa Rosa, said “the training of these youths is timely. It will play an important role in helping to reduce water downtime. In the Sub-region, there is a lack of expertise in this particular area and due to this reason, it usually takes time to have the systems up and running again.”

On the first day of the training, Minister of Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal told the participants that “with capacity building, comes a greater sense of responsibility which should not be taken lightly.”

The Minister further revealed that the region will see significant improvement in the water sector over the next eight months due to investments in that sector. He further revealed that villages will benefit from wells that will be drilled in six villages within the sub-region.

The CSOs engagement was first launched in 2014, under the Youth Entrepreneurship and Apprenticeship Programme (YEAP). It targeted youths between the ages of 16-40 in Regions One, Seven, Eight and Nine to push the development and advancement of indigenous communities through the provision of jobs.

The programme was discontinued under the last administration and replaced with the Hinterland Employment and Youth Service (HEYS) programme. That programme however ended in 2019.

After assuming office in August 2020, the current Government restarted the training of CSOs.