"Villages are required to be independent. They should have innovations in developing their villages," the ministry's director of advocacy and cooperation for villages and rural affairs, Dwi Rudy Hartoyo, said during an online focus group discussion on village fund monitoring on Friday.
Therefore, he said, the ministry is continuing to help increase the capacity of human resources in villages and boost village finances through village funds to help villages become independent.
He then highlighted the value of professional assistance in directing village resources to carry out innovations to develop villages.
Earlier, head of the ministry's Human Resources Development and Community Empowerment Agency, Luthfiyah Nurlaela, said collaboration between village facilitators and other related parties is important for accelerating the realization of independent villages.
According to Nurlaela, collaboration is important to realize independent villages amidst complex rural problems that cannot be resolved partially.
An integrated approach is needed through cross-sector collaboration, such as between village facilitators and various other parties — in this case, ministries or institutions related to village development, she expounded.
Efforts toward realizing such collaboration have been initiated by the ministry by holding focus group discussions involving 12 ministries and institutions, including in Kupang, Makassar, and Belitung. The discussions also aim to synergize village empowerment assistance and development.
According to the ministry, the number of independent villages increased by 17,029 from 174 in 2015 to 17,203 as of October 7, 2024.
The status of other villages has also improved in the last 10 years. The number of advanced villages is currently pegged at 23,063, up from 3,608 in 2015.
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Translator: Tri Meilani A, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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