Several community projects being undertaken in Bethany

GINA, Guyana, Tuesday, May 9, 2017

Several income generating projects are being executed in the Bethany, a small Indigenous community located in Supenaam, Region Two.

Among projects being executed is a fuel depot, are a cassava processing facility and a women’s craft shop. Works are also being undertaken on two bridges and the community’s ground.

Toshao of the community, Harold Manslow said the fuel project is being executed at a cost of $1.5M and the Village Council is awaiting its licence from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to begin operations. This project, he said, will create jobs for a few young persons in the community.

Manslow explained that the Women’s Craft shop is completed, and the residents are in the process of procuring equipment for the facility.

The community is also utilising their Jubilee Grant to construct and rehabilitate the two bridges that are located through the trail leading into the community.

“The project is 75% completed… we now have to full the walkway leading to the bridge with sand and some other fine works to complete the bridge…the other bridge will be reconstructed into a different style; it will be done in a way that you will not even know it’s a bridge,” Toshao Manslow said.

Meanwhile, the community also received $2M to rehabilitate their community ground and pavilion. The toshao said that the project was

divided into phases and will be completed within a month.

This community is also involved in lumbering, and Toshao Manslow said that the wood for these projects is procured from persons in the community, “because what we have experienced previously is that the wood that was being used by other contractors is not of the best quality, and what you find is that they don’t last long, so we source our own wood from right in our community,” he emphasised.

All these projects were made possible through support from Government, and have provided jobs for a number of persons within the community. They will see the community one step closer to becoming economically independent.

Bethany has a population of close to 1000 people. Apart from lumbering, the residents are involved in small scale farming, and traditional hunting and fishing.

The community has a nursery and primary school and a teachers’ quarter, a health centre, community centre and churches. There are also plans to establish a public library and a computer hub.

 

By: Synieka Thorne