BY JOY OFASIA
THE 2018-2022 Community Access and Urban Services Enhancement (CAUSE) project has recently held its official launch program at the Iron Bottom Sound hotel in Honiara.
Rep from the World Bank, Honiara City Council, Ministry of Infrastructures and leaders of communities under the CAUSE project also attended the program.
In his official presentation, CAUSE – HCC Project Manager, Salvador Jiao said the project aims to improve basic infrastructure and services for vulnerable urban populations in targeted urban centres.
“Unlike the previous project ‘Rapid Employment Project’ (REP), CAUSE has expand its boundaries to urban areas in the townships of Gizo, Noro, Munda, Auki and urban areas of Guadalcanal near Honiara town,” Mr Jiao said.
He said that the project was approved in 2nd April 2018 and was signed 18th April 2018.
“The CAUSE has 3 program components. They are Urban Works and Services, Road Repair and Maintenances only in Honiara and Guadalcanal province and Infrastructures and Service Delivery Trainings under their fixed budgets,” Mr Jiao said.
He said that the project main target groups are youth in the age range of 16-29 and women in vulnerable communities in certain urban areas.
Meanwhile, he thanked the MID, HCC and the Provincial governments of the 3 provinces included in the project for their support towards the implementation of the project.
CAUSE Project is the successor project of the Rapid Employment Project (REP). It is a Solomon Islands Government project implemented jointly by the Honiara City Council, Ministry of Infrastructure Development with the support and participation of provincial Governments of Guadalcanal, Western and Malaita.
Principal of Marara Community High School, Mr John Botsi also thanked MID and HCC for including Marara Community High School in its project last year.
He said the project helped out in building footpaths in the schools, which prevented students during rainy seasons to walk on muddy paths especially the smaller ones in the ECE students.
CAUSE project is a four-year implementation funded by the World Bank.