Members of the Raseborg Municipality in Finland visiting Grahamstown have just left, but a new Finnish delegation is flying in next week.
Members of the Raseborg Municipality in Finland visiting Grahamstown have just left, but a new Finnish delegation is flying in next week.
The new delegates are coming to see what they can do to improve education in the area, adapting Finnish ways of teaching and learning to local schools.
Through part of the Makana-Raseborg partnership five local schools are being linked up to five schools in Finland. The aim is to improve school administration and the curriculum on the South African side.
The five local schools were very pleased to be selected for the project because it means they'll be receiving internet connections.
The schools are DD Siwisa Primary, Hendrik Kanise Combined, Ntsika Secondary, Samuel Ntsiko Primary and Ikamvalesizwe Combined (Kenton-on-Sea).
The Raseborg-Makana partnership has also facilitated upgrades of Makana's municipal services.
In this area of the partnership the liaison aims to create sustainable systems of sanitation, water collection and water purification in Makana's townships and rural areas.
Here, the primary focus for now is based on dry sanitation.
The Finns produced a study on sustainable sanitation systems corresponding with Makana’s particular conditions and needs.
The municipality has implemented dry sanitation facilities in Alicedale (23 units) and farming areas Seven Fountains (14 units), Rockhurst (seven units), Carlisle Bridge (three units) and Collingham (18 units).
In January a group of experts from Finland will present a new energy plan for Makana Municipality. They will also do a study on rainwater harvesting and the re-use of grey water.
A delegation of Makana municipal officials is set to go to Finland in April next year.
There they plan to develop the municipal services leg of the project even further.
