Kivori Kui village opens resource centre

WITH communication and government services penetrating very little to rural communities in the country, resource centres are becoming useful for villagers, students, church groups and people with disabilities to utilise.
One such centre was built and opened recently at Kivori Kui village near Bereina, Central province.
About 5,000 people attended the opening of the community resource centre and the launching of the five-year development plan for the area.
Kairuku-Hiri MP Paru Aihi and director for rural development office Paul Sai, and Aihi Ikupu, president for Kairuku LLG officiated at the opening.
The resource centre was an initiative of a reformed youth Mamure Api.
Villagers in traditional regalia performed for the guests while school children braved the heat to catch a glimpse of their MP.
The delegates were led through a series of performers to the stage and were received by the chiefs of the village.
Speaking on behalf of the Kivori Kui community, Mr Ikupu said vital services such as education, communication, infrastructure, capacity building for its human resource, and assistance for people with disability were lacking.
He said while the resource centre was welcomed, people and especially school children needed good facilities to have access to educational radio programmes to enhance their education as well as life skills training such as cooking, sewing, upholstery, carpentry and proper farming methods for youths, mothers and men in the community.
Mr Aihi said development came with sacrifice, and challenged the people to sacrifice their land, because land disputes were common.
“We have a lot of land, but who is prepared to sacrifice his/her land for developmental purposes?” he asked.
He urged the young people to stay away from alcohol and drugs.
He said K10 million in district services improvement programme funds allocated to each MP, was not enough to spread over the 16 LLGs in the Kairuku-Hiri electorate.
The resource centre was built with bush materials and took six months to be completed before the official opening.