WATER TANK FARM A REALITY IN CAURA VILLAGE

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 11 2017:  After months of hard work and determination, the community-based project known as the Tumbasson Water Tank Farm became a reality for members of the Caura Valley Village Council.

Launched at the Activity Centre, Caura Valley on September 6, the ‘Tank Farm’ consisting of ten 1,000 gallon water tanks came to fruition through the collaborative effort of the community group, WASA, the MP’s office, the Regional Corporation, CEPEP and the Digicel Foundation.

In congratulating members of the council, Digicel Foundation CEO Penny Gomez, stated, “The proposal of a Tank Farm really blew us out of the water.  We were impressed by the originality and by the fact that a project of this nature really addressed a basic need for the community.   What made it even more special for us, was the element of sustainability by having WASA as a strategic partner.”

Driving the Village Council to continue its good work in developing Caura, Senator the Honourable Clarence Rambharat, Minister of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries in his address encouraged the group to ‘Build Caura around good leadership.’ Also addressing the crowd was Deputy Speaker of the House and MP for Tunapuna Mr. Esmonde Forde who thanked the Digicel Foundation for the private sector partnership noting that Digicel is in the business of ‘linking communities.’

The project was done through the Digicel Foundation Extraordinary Projects Impacting Communities (EPIC) Programme, which funds indoor and outdoor community initiatives. Seeing the opportunity to further develop the community and its environs, the Caura Valley Village Council, together with the MP’s office applied for an EPIC grant to implement the project.

Foundation CEO Gomez indicated,  “While our financial input in this project rang to a tune of TT$40,000, it is this public private sector partnership that is the real win for us at the Foundation, because we know that with the additional support, the village of Tumbasson will continue to flourish. This project acts as a model for other community groups to emulate. “ 

Last year the EPIC Programme benefitted a total of 17 communities with an investment of TT$810,000 impacting 12,000 persons in Trinidad and Tobago.