[www.inewsguyana.com] – Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon announced that the newly commissioned Mahaica Children’s Home will provide residential accommodation to a population of about 80 abused children restricted exclusively to females.
Speaking at his weekly post-Cabinet press briefing at the Office of the President, he said that very young girls (ages 3-4) will also be accommodated, but their stay is intended to be short as efforts will be made to place them in foster homes.
“The girls will become voluntary wards of the State, and they will so remain until age 18. They will be provided the full range of services enjoyed by other children at their ages,” the Cabinet Secretary stated.
The two-storey concrete facility was constructed by one of Guyana’s mobile network giants, Digicel and was officially handed over to the Human Services Ministry earlier this month.
The project originated in 2011, after a Digicel team visited the home during the Christmas season to spread cheer and observed that the conditions under which the children were living could be improved.
Abused girls currently housed at other facilities will be transferred to the Mahaica facility.
