Amerindians benefit from housing project in Rupununi

President Donald Ramotar handed over the keys to a number of houses to residents of  the North Rupununi District, Region Nine last Friday, an initiative spearheaded by the Housing and Water Ministry through its second Low Income Settlement Programme (LIS- 2).

Under the programme, the roofs of some houses were also refurbished. The project is a collaborative effort of the Housing Ministry’s Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), aimed at providing affordable, sustainable housing in Region Nine.

The communities which benefitted are Kwatamang, Katoka, Massarra, Central Annai and Apoteri. In Kwatamang, some 35 households benefited: 23 from roof replacements and 12 for houses while in Katoka, 10 household benefited from roof replacements and 12 houses were built. In Massarra, seven roof replacements were completed, but seven of the 12 homes are completed thus far.

The four roof top replacements in Central Annai were completed; however, two of 12 houses are completed. Meanwhile, in Apoteri, six of 12 roof replacements are completed and nine of 11 houses are under construction.  Sixty per cent of labour for the project was provided by beneficiaries while it provided employment opportunities for 40 percent of residents.

Great beginning

The president lauded the project as a great beginning, noting that it will expand from village to village until everyone in the hinterland has a better quality of life.

Ramotar said he knows the housing conditions in the hinterland are not always good, pointing out that he hails from a hinterland village and has travelled extensively.

The president said government wants to do much more for hinterland residents, and much focus is being placed on hinterland education.

“I have seen for myself, having the opportunity to travel to the parts of the hinterland, the transformation that is taking place and that gives me immense joy in many ways to see our people grasp at education, grasping at opportunity and developing themselves.”

Housing and Water Minister Irfaan Ali said the project is a great accomplishment and a symbol of the government’s commitment to ensure a better quality of life for its people, describing the day as a day for celebration for the beneficiaries.

“These are all investments that we are proud to make on your behalf, these are all investments we think that you so richly deserve… for us, we are all equal and we all deserve equal opportunity and equal treatment,” he declared.

He told the gathering that the government wants to work with them hand-in-hand to guarantee they obtain what they deserve. “In the government, there is a partner that will ensure you are equally treated every single time.”

Ali said his ministry did not want the project to just be the building of the homes, but rather for it to be an experience that would improve the livelihoods and skills of the persons who worked on them.

Meanwhile, Amerindian Affairs Minister Pauline Sukhai said the project mirrors an approach which the government promotes, which is, equal housing for all Guyanese.

“It teaches… that collaborating will move mountains and the government’s credibility and image, which we have created over the last two decades to promote Guyana and its credibility in working with development partners.”

Sukhai said the project provides a model which can be replicated in many of the poor developing countries, as “It lends experiences and lessons to these countries that they could follow and implement… for their people.”

Some 209 houses are expected to be covered under the housing programme.