Bengkulu gets rp 160 billion World Bank assistance

Bengkulu (ANTARA News) - Bengkulu has received a World Bank assistance of Rp160 billion to support a Mandiri Village Community Empowerment National Program for 2011.

The fund included the wages of facilitators and community empowerment training, head of the Bengkulu Community Empowerment and Village Administration Husni Hasanudin said Sunday.

He said the Rp160 billion is meant for routine program and wages of facilitators for six months in and for community empowerment training and in addition to Rp 44 billion for the community empowerment agency.

"After the initial disbursement of Rp 116 billion for the Mandiri community empowerment agency, we also received an additional Rp 11 billion for four regencies Rejang Lebong, Bengkulu Tengah, Bengkulu Utara and Kabupaten Kaur," he said.

The extra Rp11 billion is for paying consultants and facilitators for six months, and for empowerment training and some other activities.

Actually the Rp 116 billion for 2011 was smaller that last year`s Rp 153 billion because it included the 2007 earthquake rehabilitation for Bengkulu.

The additional fund came from the result of talks in the villages, and raised to sub-district level, to city coordinator and eventually regional management consultants.

Then further to the Community Empowerment Agency and Village Movement for the home affairs ministry and the finance ministry, and finally to the World Bank.

"Of the 1,300 villages, 112 sub-districts in Bengkulu there are 600 villages and 53 sub-districts already have received the Mandiri village program and eventually all the sub-districts in Bengkulu will be proposed to get the Mandiri village funds," Husni said. (*)