04 Feb 2015

It is necessary that Village Development Committee (VDC) members are inducted immediately after being elected so they can be equipped with all the information on how to assist in developing their villages, says the principal community development officer in the Tutume Sub-district, Ms Girly Mathangwane.

Speaking in an interview recently during an induction workshop, she said one of her duties was to organise courses for the committee to increase their knowledge and skills in the planning and implementation of community projects and programmes.

Ms Mathangwane said that the induction placed them in a better position to manage their committee and to achieve better results before the end of their term. 

She said that the main objective of the workshop was to orientate committee members on committee procedures, their roles and responsibilities, social and community development policies, acts and guidelines that guide their operations.

The workshop, she also noted, equipped participants with skills and knowledge on financial management.

Ms Mathangwane said that the government had introduced the bottom up planning approach as a way for VDCs to initiate development proposals and ensure their mainstreaming into the District Development Planning (DDPs) hence the need for them to know more about proper planning and implementation of projects.
She said that the VDC should represent the community in development matters and act as a reference point in matters pertaining to community development. 

Ms Mathangwane said that members were also taught how to write meeting minutes, produce financial reports and ways to prevent corruption in the workplace.

She said that VDCs were expected to produce a report at the end of their term which should reflect all the books available, signing of lease agreements, income and non- income generating projects, used and unused structures, sources of income and financial statements.

After the workshop, she explained that they were to visit the VDCs in their respected villages to see how they put the acquired knowledge and skills into practice.

Ms Mathangwane said that her office will continue to assist the committee in the interpretation of guidelines, explaining and ensuring that procedures were followed and also assist in channeling community projects to donor agencies for funding. ENDS