The human local community is one of the greatest agents of change in a society. Few things are as powerful as the teamwork of a passionate community. Each member of the team brings their own expertise and other unique contributions and together make a powerful whole.
The purpose of a politician is not to pamper community members with handouts. Rather, the politician is an agent of the community. He or she is there to help motivate them towards joint action and also to help ensure that they get the support of the institutions of the states that they are due. This includes amenities such as good roads, adequate water supply, electricity as well as education and health services.
Sometimes for various reasons, the state may not come through adequately, but nevertheless, a progressive community will focus on self-help and cooperation to help ensure the fulfillment of their needs. This is what the people of Epworth in St. Ann have done.
We see where over the last quarter century, a senior teacher thought of quitting due to the poor state of the roads. Some of her colleagues actually had to leave their vehicles and walk part of the way. Fortunately, the people of Epworth did not give up. They were able to develop a partnership with community-oriented organisations such as the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), as well as putting their own collecting money into the project. The Epworth community development group sought to work together to maintain the repaired roads over time.
The partnership was not about fostering dependence but through collaboration the community made their input to sustain the future of their residents. Other benefits from community action included access to agricultural supplies as well as sales of produce to outsiders. I hope that whoever reads this can seek to become part of empowerment through community action.
Open the link to read more about the people of Epworth from the Observer newspaper.
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