Revival Of Self-Help Spirit

Reports from various parts of the country, especially from the rural areas, show that this year's Easter period was primarily used to rekindle the self-help spirit in the country.

Many communities organized fund-raising activities and proceeds from those activities would be used to finance development projects, notably educational and health facilities or the provision of places of convenience.

When youth and development associations organize themselves to provide such basic human necessities for their communities, they would be assisting their own people and at the same time taking a huge burden off the shoulders of the government.

By that, the government could devote enough resources and time to other urgent needs like the provision of potable water and electricity to the people, and make life worth living for them.

But the more important issue is for the leaders of those youth groups to account for the monies realized from those activities judiciously. It would be suicidal for such monies to find their way into private pockets.

Such a shameful and unpatriotic act would discourage people from patronizing those fund-raising activities and donating freely to make them successful.

Leaders of those groups whose action or inaction would discourage others from donating towards those honourable causes would be blamed by generations yet unborn.

Unfortunately, there are many well-to-do people from some rural communities who because of their employment, are currently residing in the urban areas and refuse to participate in the activities of the youth groups.

They erroneously think that since their children are in well-endowed schools in the cities and other urban areas, and attend prestigious hospitals whenever they are sick, it is not necessary for them to donate towards development projects back home.

To say the least, such people are bad citizens. They must be reminded that it was those primitive schools they themselves attended that have made them what they are today. Without those schools, they would have been in those deprived areas.

If, therefore, they would assist in uplifting conditions in the rural areas, they would not only be building the future well-being of their communities, but also grooming the future generation to take over the mantle of leadership from them.

We therefore advise such people to have a change of heart and join others to contribute to the development of their deprived areas.

It is necessary for us to remind our people, especially the rural-dwellers, that it is easier for the government to come to the aid of people who are eager to help themselves, than others who might be sitting tight and waiting for government to come and do everything for them.

Communities must therefore do what would attract the government's attention to assist them and make life worth living for them.

DAILY GUIDE encourages youth and development associations to make themselves development partners of the government and succeed in developing the entire country.