The Maholian Way - Part Four: Honouring & including first Maholians

In conclusion

Overall, these approaches – together with other components of the Maholian Way that benefit Latuans and non-Latuans alike – have seen major progress in Latuan communities. The best indicator of this is the change in life expectancy, with the gap between Latuans and non-Latuans halving in two decades. Latuans are increasingly involved in running their own communities and performing the many tasks within them. As is the case in Maholia generally, major funding allocations need to be approved by both local leaders and those administering these funds centrally, based on an explicit understanding that these decisions will be guided by ongoing research about what works and what doesn’t.

In general, Latuans already have close – though not always beneficial – connections in their communities, and the challenge has been to put in place effective institutions and processes to enable these communities to function better and meet the needs of their members. There are many promising signs of success in key areas, such as in the operation of schools, in support for parents with young children (with the help of the Maholian Parents Association), and in the creation of enterprises to meet local needs and generate income with which to buy products from outside. As well, effective efforts have been made to ensure that these endeavours are not undermined by factors like alcoholism and violence. Progress varies from issue to issue and from community to community, but the general trend is clearly one of improvement.

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