Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro inaugurated Wednesday a new social program aimed at renewing ties between the government and community groups.

Dubbed “Movimiento Somos Venezuela” (Movement We Are Venezuela), the initiative was hailed by Maduro as “a new stage of popular government”.

“Movimiento Somos Venezuela is starting, [and will] resolve the issues that need to be addressed in the country,” Maduro said during the inauguration.

According to state media outlet AVN, the movement will create more direct channels of coordination between the government and community groups to “help resolve personal, community and family needs”.

“We are going to build responsive pathways – in a progressive way – between the Bolivarian government … the whole system of missions and state institutions, [and the] political and social forces that support the revolutionary process,” Maduro said.

So far, the initiative boasts 66,000 volunteers, and will be headed by Education Minister Elias Jaua.

According to Maduro, the program’s first phase will take place from June 15 to July 15, and will involve a door-to-door campaign to determine the needs of vulnerable communities.

“We have to go out in search of the needs, the suffering … today we are taking the first step,” Maduro said.

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