Young Apoteri toshao passionate about developing his community
â Plans to make community a major Tourist destination
DPI, Guyana, Friday, July 27, 2018
Kenny Thomas of Apoteri Village, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) is passionate about developing this small Indigenous reservation that sits near the confluence of the Rupununi River.
Thomas is the youngest village leader ever elected in the North Rupununi village.
The twenty-seven-year-old said that he owes everything to the Hinterland Entrepreneurial and Youth Service (HEYS) programme which he participated in and was able to build his capacity in the area of management.
Thomas, who is a carpenter by profession, told the Department of Public Information (DPI) that he plans to return the once-booming community (known for its balata trade), to its former glory through tourism.
The community on the western bank of the Upper Essequibo is surrounded by pristine wilderness and abundant wildlife. It already has a $5Million Eco-lodge which was constructed under the Community Development Plan (CDP) project.
The village has a Primary and Nursery School, Health Center and a Guest House. âApoteri is a research place, a lot of persons from overseas visit the area to do research, we have an airstrip. We have an Eco-lodge and I am taking this opportunity to begin this tourism venture in the village which will create jobs and generate income for the Village,â Thomas said.
Thomas explained that over the next three years, the Village Council will be seeking to strengthen its relationship with the government and other agencies to advance the livelihood of the of the 300 Macushi and Wapishana peoples residing in the village.
The name âApoteriâ comes from the Arawak word for tree.
Synieka Thorne
Images: Kennyann Bacchus and Tejpaul Bridgemohan