Centres keeping people informed

SEVEN districts will set up community development centres where people can access information on public services.
The districts are Imbonggu and Ialibu-Pangia in Southern Highlands, Bialla in West New Britain, Gazelle in East New Britain, Abau and Kairuku in Central and Yangoru-Saussia in East Sepik
Prime Minister Peter O’Neill, the MP for Ialibu-Pangia, was at the signing of an agreement between the districts and the Department of Community Development, Youth and Religion at Parliament House on Monday.
The centres, to be called the “people’s office”, are where people can get information on how to deal with child protection, gender-based violence, disability, elderly, women and family services.
Included at the centres will be civil registry offices for birth registration, plus desks for children, youths, women, senior citizens and people living with disabilities.
O’Neill said every leader wanted to provide basic services to the people.
“Challenges will continue but it is up to how we deliver basic services like education, health and infrastructures because our population growth is too fast,” he said.
“The centres are very important (as) we must continue to inform the people so that they have quality of life and services.
“The standard of living, how to improve them and making sure they have the right number of children, when to have children so that they can provide quality of life to their families than quantity. “We have District Services Improvement Programme and Provincial Services Improvement Programme funds and the model is created to be a partner in the programmes,” O’Neill said.