The Village Cluster Model: A Modern Strategy for National Empowerment

Jan 03, 2026 Letters

Dear Editor,

As Guyana continues its historic ascent, the government has a unique opportunity to refine the architecture of our national development. To ensure that our rising prosperity translates into tangible improvements for every citizen, whether on the coastland or in the hinterland, we should look toward a highly successful model of “Development from Below.”

This strategy, which emphasizes village participation, can transform the state’s role from a simple provider of infrastructure into a powerful facilitator of community life.

The intellectual roots of this approach lie in the One Village One Product (OVOP) movement from Japan, which was later scaled with immense success in Thailand as the OTOP project.

While these international examples often focused on commercial products, Guyana’s path forward lies in adapting this logic to Village Cluster Projects. In this framework, neighboring villages are grouped into clusters to identify shared social and infrastructural needs. The project is not an “economic engine” designed for profit, but a social one designed to improve the collective quality of life.

The government’s role in this partnership is essential and pro-active. Instead of a top-down approach where the center decides on a project and budget before seeking feedback, the government serves as the technical and financial backbone for the people’s vision.

The state provides the necessary financing and deploys specialized extension workers to assist with project design, management, monitoring, and evaluation. This ensures that while the community leads the way, they are supported by the highest professional standards to guarantee success.

We see the incredible efficacy of this “Community-Based Participation” (CBP) in the work of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). In complex environments such as the large-scale camps in Bangladesh, Uganda, and among displaced populations in Myanmar, CBP has been the gold standard.

By empowering residents to design and manage their own community improvement projects, the UNHCR has found that these initiatives are more sustainable, better maintained, and more deeply respected than those imposed by outside agencies.

This model is not just for the interior; it is a blueprint for the entire country. A cluster of coastal villages might identify a need for a community-managed drainage system or a shared vocational hub, while a hinterland cluster might prioritize a regional resource center.

In every case, the government’s extension workers provide the “software” of development—the tools for accountability and technical execution—while the “hardware” is the project the community actually wants.

This approach represents a sophisticated evolution in governance. It fosters a spirit of national ownership and active citizenship. When the government provides the resources and the technical scaffolding, but allows the village clusters to steer the direction, it creates a more resilient and inclusive Guyana.

It is time to move beyond the old “command-and-control” style of development and embrace a partnership that honors the local intelligence of our people.

Respectfully,
Dr. Walter H. Persaud

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