More Financial Assistance for Rural Development Project in Dennery

Monday, July 03, 2000 – The Mabouya Valley Development Project (MVDP) on Sunday, July 2, 2000 celebrated its second “Open Day” under the theme, “Fostering Sustainable Development Through Active Participation”. Amidst the celebrations though, were concerns about the sustainability of the ten-year-old project, which has been financed by the European Development Fund (EDF), and which is due to be completed in March of next year.

In that regard the MVDP Management Committee has been sourcing alternative means of sustaining the project other than privatization and during Sunday’s Open Day a cheque of $50,000 made available through the La Ressource Credit Union was handed over to the Deputy Chairman of the MVDP Mr. Julius Polius.   

National Authorizing Officer and EDF Representative to the Project, Mrs. Alison King–Joseph noted that the project, through its community-oriented approach has assumed a prominent position in the socio–economic landscape of the Mabouya Valley and it is imperative that it continues. “There is too much at stake to allow it to wither away at the end of phase two,” she said.

The Mabouya Valley Development Project aims at improving the standard of living of residents of Mabouya Valley, Dennery.  Under phase one of the project, infrastructure like roads and proper drainage were constructed.  The second phase of the project facilitated technical training in relevant areas especially related to agriculture, with a view to encouraging participants to become more self-reliant, and to continue to find innovative ways of developing their human resources.  The MVDP also saw the establishment of the Fond D’Or Nature and Historical Park and the development of tissue culture in that part of the island.  These are among the major physical, successes of the project. 

The EDF representative and the Deputy Chairman of the MVDP also signed an agreement on Sunday to explore a very significant element of the project, the Micro-Projects component, which will seek to provide financial and technical assistance to persons and groups interested in agricultural and non – agricultural enterprises within the Dennery basin.

 As an incentive to increase community participation in the project, during the Open Day, prizes were awarded to farmers in the MVDP Farmers’ Association, and to school students who participated in a debate for and against the privatization of the Mabouya Valley Development Project.

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