Ministerial task force established to tackle social ills in Baramita

The One Guyana mantra of President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali is much more than equitable access to opportunities, improvement of infrastructure, healthcare, and education. It extends far beyond, including the improvement of social welfare and the eradication of social issues.

The government has heightened its efforts in evaluating social ills nationwide and has made significant moves to address them.

As monitoring of livelihoods continues, specifically in remote areas, the administration has now formulated a high-level task force to address the multiplicity of social issues in Baramita, Region One (Barima-Waini).

The announcement was made by Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal, during a visit with Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Pauline Sukhai, to the community on Thursday.

“The community of Baramita, some of the burning issues on the social front, the livelihoods, and the existence of the people is of concern to the Government of Guyana. This community has one of the highest suicidal rates in Guyana and it is of concern to us, so the President [Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali] has set up a ministerial task force, that will pay special attention to this community,” Minister Croal stated.

The committee will comprise the Amerindian affairs minister; Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr Vindhya Persaud; Minister of Public Service, Sonia Parag; Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand; Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha; Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat and the housing and water minister.

The team will be discussing the implementation of educational programmes and agriculture production, as an immediate solution to provide opportunities to the villagers. Healthcare will also be prioritised.

Minister Croal said, “There will be a consolidated area for medical services after school in one cluster, so there will be easier access. So, even when you bring your child to school you can get medical attention right in the area.”

Meanwhile, through the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, since 2020 a welfare officer has been employed specifically for Baramita, while a Community Development Officer (CDO) in the sub-region has been designated to keenly monitor vulnerable communities, including Baramita.

Minister Sukhai noted that the government will be relentless in its efforts to ensure social ills are removed from all corners of the country.

“We are prepared to continue providing the level of support to allow Baramita to grow with the rest of the country,” Minister Sukhai said.