Brava: Edil Francisco Tavares considers 2019 the year of greatest achievements

The mayor of Brava, Francisco Tavares, considered today that 2019 was the year with the greatest achievements on the island, comparing it with the previous ones.

Francisco Tavares made this consideration in an interview with Inforpress, as a balance of the year about to end.

The mayor began by highlighting the interventions that were carried out in the social sphere, considering that the first activity was to “assist” the neediest families on the island at different levels.

Of these supports, he noted that the city council supported some families with basic food baskets in times of crisis, including help with medicines and transfers to Fogo Island for specialist consultations, clinical analyses, among others.

Apart from health, still in the social sector, the mayor informed that the city council team made interventions in around 60 bathrooms and more than 20 interventions in roofs and other essential aspects.

In addition, he recalled that the autarchy has in progress, together with the Ministry of Family and Social Inclusion (MFIS), the Single Social Register, with which it intends to carry out an “exhaustive survey” of all the families that will be cataloged within a register, so that the social benefits, both from the Government and from the council, can be based on the category that each family is inserted, as a way to bring “more justice and equity” in the distribution of public resources.

In the cultural sector, Francisco Tavares stressed that the city council is the only sponsor of Carnival on the island, also indicating that the municipality supported the June festivities, depending on the size of each one.

Justifying, the mayor said that the June festivities have cultural aspects that are "worth" preserving, within the perspective that Brava, in addition to its landscape, in terms of tourism, must present the cultural product as one of the attractions.

In the June festivities, he highlighted the activities around São João Baptista, but also spoke of the second edition of the Culture Week, which covers the National Day of Culture, without forgetting the 8th edition of the Festival Sete Sóis Sete Luas na Brava, and as a result of this partnership, another “tour” of the Brava 7Luas Band to Europe was carried out.

He highlighted the lighting of the square and the carrying out of activities during the Christmas season and the support that the municipality has given to local artists to participate in national events such as URDI, festival of voices, among other sponsorships, within the possibilities of the municipality.

With regard to sport, he recalled that there was a small increase in the subsidy of the federated 11-a-side football teams, coupled with the fence of the football stadium and investments in the acquisition of communication equipment for referees and field agents.

He also indicated the sponsorship of athletes from Brave to participate in competitions on other islands, namely in athletics, in addition to the investment of around 6000 contos to transform the Mato sports plaque into a multipurpose facility, where a stage, changing rooms and bathhouse were built , and special treatment given to the floor with acrylic resin.

Also in this regard, the president of the city council of Brave said that they continued to invest in the multipurpose facility of Nossa Senhora do Monte, where the municipality assumes the delays, but guaranteed that it will offer the population of the parish and the island one of the “best sports investments”, both in infrastructures and in terms of the services that will operate in this location.

In terms of the environment, Francisco Tavares highlighted a “strong” investment in the sector, which included cleaning the streets of all locations, an investment that exceeded 2000 contos, in hiring people to do this work, ensuring the collection of waste household for the Favatal dump, acquisition of paper containers, waste plan and acquisition of a garbage compactor truck, which you will soon owe to the island.

In the tourist sector, he listed the interventions carried out in the pedestrian street of Furna, the street layout of the town of Lomba Tantum, the installation of tourist signage throughout the towns, the transformation of the bandstand in the square into a tourist transformation centre, support for training young people at the School of Hospitality and Tourism of Cape Verde (EHTCV), as well as the tourism master plan for the island.

Regarding the cooperation developed in 2019, the mayor highlighted the Government as the “first and great” partner of the municipality, in addition to highlighting the importance of cooperation with the SSSL, partnerships with emigrants in the USA, the first medical mission of the Health CV project , in partnership with the José Andrade Foundation and the Ministry of Health and some emigrants, another medical mission by Saint Paul Medical Services.

Francisco Tavares also spoke of the partnership with the Cape Verdean Association for the Fight against Cancer (ACLCC), his stay in Portugal to reactivate protocols with the municipal councils of Serpa, Oeiras and Sintra, as well as the partnership with the project “little libraries”.

As for health, in addition to the cooperation that brought dozens of specialists to the island, he stressed that he has participated in the meetings of the Municipal Health Committee and continues to put “pressure” together with the Government and the Ministry of Health so that the health station becomes have better working conditions.

Another gain in 2019 highlighted by the mayor was the operation of the X-ray room, some equipment that US emigrants have sent to the health department and in a meeting with the Minister of Health.

He informed that it is the intention of the Ministry of Health to hire more laboratory technicians, more nurses, a physiotherapist for the island, in addition to the acquisition of an ambulance with advanced life support, which will arrive in early 2020.

In the education sector, he spoke of support for school transport for all students on the island, with the acquisition of a new bus, support for students in the country's universities, among other supports in the sector.

MC/JMV

Inforpress/end