Minister Allicock meets new Baramita Toshao, Councillors   -urged them to ensure continued village development

DPI, Guyana, Thursday, May 23, 2018

“I urge you to waste no time, seek directions and begin crafting projects and send your proposals to us and we will be willing to help…We need to create an enabling environment for our people and we want the people to benefit from the activities within the community.”

This was the charge by Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Sydney Allicock to the   newly elected members of the Baramita Village Council. The Minister met with the councillors on Wednesday, to discuss the way forward for the development of the Region One (Barima Waini) community.

Minister Allicock was accompanied by the ministry’s Community Development Officer (CDO), Virgil Ferreira and Legal Officer, Mariam Andrew and members of the By Faith Foundation for Hinterland Children and Hands Across Nations, Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs).

In his discussions, Minister Allicock urged the council to ensure the continuous transformation of Baramita. He reminded that when the coalition government came into office in 2015, it met a depressed community, plagued with many social ills including suicide, sexual and domestic violence and alcohol abuse.

Immediately, that the government implemented a ministerial taskforce which included representatives from the Ministries of Public Health, Education, Public Security, Social Cohesion, Social Protection, Agriculture and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission.

Minister Allicock advised the council to include transformational projects in their Village Improvement Plan (VIP) to complement the upgrades that have already been implemented in the community, which was neglected for over two decades.

Among interventions over the past two years was the relocation of the public space from the airstrip. This new area will include a hospital, schools, a dormitory and a community centre and ground; some 500 birth certificates were distributed to residents in Baramita and the surrounding areas; the Village Council and Community Guest House was rehabilitated; construction of a hot meal kitchen; skills training programmes and scholarships offered to the youths.

Toshao Sharmain Rambajue said that the new council is currently acquainting themselves with the assets of the Village, meeting with business persons in the area.  Meetings will also be held the miners in the area, after which a general village engagement will be held.

Rambajue explained that her ultimate goal is to eradicate the stigma associated with Baramita; she is in the process of crafting a three years plan.

 

By: Synieka Thorne.