President Bharrat Jagdeo greets a Region Nine toshao. Also in picture are other toshaos and PPP presidential candidate Donald Ramotar
Amerindian villages countrywide have until July to submit proposals on income-generating projects for their communities, in order to benefit from a Gy$320 million presidential grant covering the years 2010 and 2011.
President Bharrat Jagdeo made this announcement recently while meeting toshaos from across Region Nine at the St Ignatius Secondary School. “I want you all to go back to your communities and have a discussion about which project you want to fund. Most communities will have about Gy$2 million, and the smaller ones about Gy$ 1 million,” President Jagdeo said.
In July, the head of state is expected to re-engage toshaos representing all Amerindian communities at the Guyana International Conference Centre (GICC), where village grants will be distributed.
The funds, being made available through priority projects under the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), will be directed towards community development projects conceptualised and approved by Amerindians for their communities.
The funds, an addition to the presidential grants, will be drawn from the Gy$ 1.6B that has been generated through the Guyana Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD +) mechanism which Guyana established through its partnership with the Norwegian government, the Government Information Agency reported.
Guyana managed to acquire US$ 70 million through the REDD mechanism, US$ 8M of which will be dedicated to the community development projects for the Amerindians.
Among those present at the meeting were People’s Progressive Party presidential candidate Donald Ramotar, Amerindian Affairs Minister Pauline Sukhai, and Chairman of Region Nine, Clarendo Lucas.
Meanwhile, government is moving ahead with its agenda for Amerindian communities, some of which will receive installation of solar panels in all homes.
The administration is working towards a deadline of year-end when all Amerindian communities will have the equipment in place. Already, some communities have received the panels.
President Jagdeo told the toshaos of the many benefits which electricity will bring in time for the other major project of setting up computer training hubs in every village.
“We can’t give every home a computer, but you will have one big facility with about 20 computers in each village, with Internet connection so that every person, not only children, can learn the computer,” President Jagdeo said.
Additionally, the newly launched learning channel is expected to reach as far as the Rupununi area by July, and President Jagdeo urged the community to seize the opportunities.
During the interaction with the toshaos, many were given the opportunity to raise issues of importance to them, ranging from education, health, acquisition of birth certificates and ID Cards, infrastructural projects, and agriculture.
After the meeting, President Jagdeo joined Ramotar in distributing kites to youths in the community.
Meanwhile, the Rupununi Rodeo, the biggest and most exhilarating event in Lethem during the Easter season, was declared open by President Bharrat Jagdeo in the presence of scores of patrons.
The event, which has as its main feature horse and bull riding, calf roping, and saddle bronco, was held for two days in the community, which President Jagdeo described as dynamic.
The head of state spoke to the patrons, minutes before the opening of the rodeo, about the transformation which is about to take place in Lethem and the Rupununi, evidenced by the proliferation of economic activities.
“Lethem is uniquely placed, because of its vision with Brazil, to be one of the dynamic centres for development with our country, and I expect in upcoming years to see major changes,” President Jagdeo said.
Among them are the large scale plantation-type agriculture in the Rupununi Savannahs, the exploration for oil and gas in the Rupununi, and the potential which Lethem holds as a trading post between Guyana and Brazil.
“It offers possibility for thousands of jobs being created, more employment opportunities and income for people here,” President Jagdeo said.
Aside from the economic development, President Jagdeo spoke of government-funded projects, including a Gy$600 million contract for the Georgetown/Lethem road and another connecting Regions Nine and Eight.
Among the highlights of the event was the presentation of a painting to President Jagdeo by Paul Atkinson, portraying the Low Carbon Development Strategy and the Champion of the Earth award conferred on the Head of State.
The Rupununi Rodeo has its origins in the middle of the last century when the vaqueros competed against each other in various skills. It later grew from humble beginnings to a centralised event in St Ignatius, before moving to Lethem in 1985.
