Jawalla channels $137M into community development

From improved village administration to expanded spaces for community activities, Jawalla in Region Seven is translating development resources into infrastructure designed to serve its residents.

The village has invested a combined $137 million in two major facilities: a $122 million village multi-purpose centre and a newly constructed $15 million Village Council Office, financed through the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) and village funds.

The Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, on Wednesday, shared a video on its Facebook page featuring Toshao Verron Henry-Williams, who outlined how the village utilised its LCDS allocation to construct the new Village Council Office.

The 30-by-40-foot building provides dedicated spaces for village administration, including a boardroom, offices for the toshao, secretary and treasurer, accommodation for the community development officer (CDO) and a storeroom.

Importantly, the construction also created employment opportunities for residents, with both the contractor and workers drawn from within the village. This ensured that the investment not only delivered a new facility but also engaged local skills and labour.

“We spent $15 million on this project, and the other financing came from the village treasury. The contractor was actually from the village, and the workers were from the village. So this is what the people of Jawalla did to build this office,” Toshao Henry-Williams said.

Meanwhile, the $122 million multi-purpose centre has expanded the community’s capacity to host a range of activities, including workshops, village meetings, weddings and other social engagements.