by Yerindideke Kindness Ayibakuro
The World Bank-funded Community and Social Development Project (CSDP) has inspire rural transformation through provision of basic infrastructural facilities and other development programmes to some communities in Zamfara.
Tarakiri voice newspaper gathered that the World Bank assisted project built a Primary HealthCare Clinic (PHC) in Gurbi Community in Talatan Mafara Local Government, Zamfara.
And other CSDP projects include building of schools, drilling of boreholes, renovation of Computer Based Centre for the use of the youth among others.
Gurbi Community located at Talatan Mafara Local Government Area (LGA) has a population of over 3000 inhabitants who are mainly farmers and petty traders.
The Vice Chairman, Gurbi Community Project Management Committee, Malam Abdullahi Bello at assessment of the impact of project in Gurbi community on Friday, commended CSDP expressed delight at the various projects.
Bello explained that prior to the provision of the health facility by CSDP, the people of the community used to travel a distance of five kilometers to get medical treatment in Talatan Mafara LGA headquarters.
He also revealed that based on huge demand for portable drinking water in the community CSDP drilled hand pump borehole to improve the living condition of the people.
“We largely depended on well water which dry up during season and makes life difficult for us. So, we decided to approach CSDP office in the state capital and seek their intervention to support us with two micro projects.
” The officials of CSDP came and conducted feasibility studies and directed us to mobilise our 10 per cent of the total sum of the project and to be glory of God the projected was completed and impacting positively on our lives”, he said.
Ms Talatu Adamu, Senior Community Health Extension Worker at the PHC, said that centre was used as COVID-19 vaccination centre
She revealed that no fewer than 127 persons took their first jam of COVID-19 vaccine at the centre, adding that more people are showing interest to take the jam in the facility.
She also disclosed that the clinic attended to over 25 patients from the community daily from Monday to Sunday, saying “sometimes I received calls in the midnight to attend to pregnant women who are due for delivery.
Similarly, the CSDP renovated the Talatan Mafara Develoment Trust Fund Computer Based Centre, furnished with seats and desk as well as provided electrification, motorised water scheme, CCTB Cameras and toilet for the centre.
Alhaji Yusuf Mafara, Manager of the Centre and Chairman Community Project Management Committee (CPMC), said that the centre was dilapidated and inactive before the intervention of CSDP.
“Whenever our children wants to write a computer based test they have to go to the state capital which a distance of about 80km.
“That was why the community approached CSDP to help renovated the centre for the usage of Gumi, Anka, Maradun, Bakura, Bukyu, Talatan Mafara Local Governments areas of the state”, he said.
Marafa, who expressed optimism that the centre would prepare children of the community for higher education, also said that the center would be use for seminars, Higher School Examinations and and Pre Senior Secondary School Examinations.
“We are also going to use the centre to run daily computer training and National Examination Council.”
He said that as part of efforts to ensure sustainability of the centre through partnership, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had donated 300 laptops with all networking equipment to the center.
” We are also planning to upgrade the centre to Digital Village with a view to boost its revenue profile,” he said.
Tarakiri voice newspaper also learnt that the CSDP build a two block of hostels and equipped it with 122 double bunk, mattress and two toilets at Command Science Secondary School, Talatan Mafara LG.
Chairman of CPMC of the school, Malam Abubakar Dogo, said ” if not for the intervention of CSDP the school doesn’t have available hostel to admit new students.”
Dogo commended the efforts of Zamfara State and national officials of the CSDP for the provision of social infrastructure facilities in communities, adding that their community driven development approached was a good model for development.
