A city-to-city agreement between Nquthu Municipality and Bornem Municipality (in Belgium), signed in 2003, is bearing a rich harvest of development opportunities with R2,5-million already injected into Nquthu from Belgium.
Gawein Van Daele from Bornem Youth Desk will be stationed in Nquthu for the next three months to assist with the three policies which the agreement includes, namely youth development, libraries, and waste and environmental policies.
Three schools in Nquthu have already benefited from the programme, while the Nquthu library now has 16 computers for public use, teaching staff in computer training and library services, while 16 ‘wheelie book wagons’ have also been distributed.
“These will go to four schools in various wards in Nquthu, and the public will have access.
Another milestone has been reached by Nquthu Municipality in opening these four satellite libraries,” said Head of Communications, Thokozani Nyandeni.
“The youth policy field has already benefited from staff development (training and youth exchange, whereby youth from Bornem came and exchanged their experience with our own youth) and playing material.
Still to come is an exchange of our youth to Bornem, and the realisation of the Youth Information Centre.
The environmental and waste policy field has benefited from staff training (community gardens, eco-schools, drop-in centres), and three community gardens have received tanks, water pipes and work equipment to assist them to do the good work that they are doing.
“Two eco-schools have been exchanging information with two schools from Belgium,” said Ms Nyandeni.