$7M shade tunnel handed over to Timehri Women’s Prison

The Rotary Club of Garden City (RCGC) today handed over a new shade tunnel to the Guyana Prison Service at the Timehri Women’s Prison. The Massy Foundation (Guyana) funded the $7 million project. The shade tunnel will give women in custody a place to grow vegetables and learn practical farming skills they can use after release.

Pearson Burch-Smith, President of the Rotary Club of Garden City, acknowledged that the flourishing crops on display were not the first planted. Problems beneath the soil’s surface had affected the initial planting, prompting the club to seek expert guidance from the National Agricultural and Research Extension Institute (NAREI). With a better understanding of the problems, the club was able to address them and replant successfully. He connected that experience to a lesson for the women: “Life may not unfold as hoped at first, but with guidance and support, you can make changes in your life that yield a more fruitful future.” Mr. Burch-Smith noted.

On behalf of the Massy Foundation, Ms. Teisha Milner, Senior Manager, Massy Distribution (Guyana) Ltd, explained that the shade tunnel brings together Massy’s community priorities of food security, access to education, and good health and wellbeing. It supports crop production, learning through hands-on agricultural experience, and access to fresh produce and meaningful participation. Ms. Milner said, “We believe that investing in people means creating opportunities to develop skills, build confidence, and prepare for the future.”

The Prison Service representative Mr. Abeid DeCunha, Superintendent of Prisons, emphasised the Service’s responsibility to produce food for inmates while teaching practical skills that support their reintegration into society. He noted that the shade tunnel project directly supports both objectives and expressed a desire to explore further collaboration with the Rotary Club of Garden City for the benefit of the women and their return to community life.

The Timehri tunnel builds on RCGC’s earlier shade tunnel at the Phoenix Recovery drug rehabilitation facility in Yarrowkabra, Soesdyke. Both projects pair food production with rehabilitation and skills for life after a facility.

Mr. DeCunha, accepted the tunnel on behalf of the Prison Service. Representatives of RCGC, The Massy Foundation and the GPS then cut the ribbon and toured the structure.

The Timehri tunnel is 100 feet by 30 feet and will be used to grow cash crops. Approximately 30 women are expected to work in it, with Prison Service officers overseeing its daily operation. The National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) will continue to provide technical support and extension guidance, including advice on soil testing and planting.