Development funding is being put to work improving roads in Yangon Region’s Htantabin township. The Community Driven Development (CDD) project is being administered in townships throughout the country by the Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Rural Development with US$480 million from the World Bank. The Italian government has also made 20 million euros available.
Htantabin township residents want to spend the money this year on paving village roads, said U Pyae Phyoe Aung, the project administrator in the township.
“Villagers asked for the roads and streets to be paved because transportation is so terrible,” he said.
The World Bank provided an initial $80 million grant for 15 townships, and added a further $400 credit last year for an additional 18 townships. The Myanmar government is contributing $30 million. The townships were selected on the basis of need and population. For instance, a village with 3000 inhabitants might receive K18 million, with K24.3 million being made available for a village of up to 5000, and K30.6 million for communities of more than 5000.
For the first year of the three-year project, the funding must be spent on repairing infrastructure, but the money can later be used for schools, hospitals, roads, bridges, water supply and other infrastructure.
Htantabin township has already spent the first tranche on roads, as well as dredging lakes and repairing schools, said U Pyae Phyo Kyaw. “We’ve consulted among the 200 village groups to find out what they wanted to spend the money on. We want them to tell us what roads they need,” he said.
Residents play an important role in managing the project, and enjoy a large measure of independence in implementing it, said a rural development official.
U Hla Khine, deputy director of the department, said, “We give leadership and management classes to help them manage their project. Then, once we transfer the funds, they manage them as they implement the project.”
Quoted from mmtimes.
