As part of his two-day outreach in Berbice, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) President Dr Irfaan Ali this morning handed over newly constructed homes to three Corentyne families.
These houses were built under his Men on Mission (MOM) initiative.
The first house was handed over to a family of seven at Little Africa, Corriverton, Corentyne.
James Haynes, 56, has been suffering from a spine injury for the past 15 years. He and his wife, 56-year-old Khemwattie Haynes, and their daughter, Geeta Haynes, along with her four children – ages 3, 5, 8 and 10 – lived in the previous structure which was “falling down”.
During a recent outreach in the area, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill saw the situation and hence, the intervention was made. The flat concrete house, equipped with a wheelchair ramp, was constructed by Chris Jagdeo and Company to the tune of some $5 million and was furnished by other donors.
Additionally, Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat has donated a laptop computer to the family as well.
President Ali said he is pleased with the private sector’s response to the MOM initiative in the region.
“In Region Six, the private sector is leading other regions in creating these opportunities… Last night, I met a group of young entrepreneurs, young builders in the region, and they have committed to working with us to doing 10 such homes, especially for persons who are differently-abled,” the Head of State noted.
He added that the MOM initiative is also working on creating a ‘green open space’ in the Little Africa village.
Meanwhile, the second house, an elevated flat wooden structure, was constructed for a family at the Number 64 Village, Corentyne.
The previous building, occupied by an elderly couple, came crashing down in August 2022 while 62-year-old Madray Budram and his wife Parbatie Budhu were asleep. The pillars of the old wooden home gave out.
Several small contractors took on this project in collaboration with the Natural Resources Ministry.
The President, in handing over the new house, again noted how grateful he was that small contractors have stepped up to assist the vulnerable.
“These guys are operating in the region and they joined this [MOM] initiative… So, it’s not only for the big corporations, the big entities and the government alone but all of us. This is just sending the message that all of us can combine our efforts,” the Guyanese Leader stated.
In fact, President Ali disclosed that a number of sawmills on the Corentyne have already indicated their willingness to donate lumber for such initiatives to assist families in need.
The third house was handed over to Williamsburg, Corentyne residents, 62-year-old Druwattie Ramcharran and her son. The house they were living in was dilapidated and collapsed on January 9. The pensioner had to be rescued by a neighbour.
Ramcharran’s house was in a dilapidated state and had fallen. The house was rebuilt by a local contracting company,
This new one-storey wooden house was rebuilt by Peter Lewis, one of the large contractors in Region Six. His company, Associated Contracting, constructed the house under President Ali’s Men on Mission (MoM) initiative. It was fully furnished by other local businesses, Quality Deliverer and Pro Business.
“He did an excellent job here in bringing this building to this family… Again, this is a demonstration of the activism, the level of responsibility, the commitment [and] the corporate social responsibility here by another company,” the Head of State said.
He added that the MOM programme will also evaluate the need for a support mechanism for elderly couples in communities across the country.
