Georgetown: President Donald Ramotar on Saturday cut the symbolic ribbon to commission the first project to be completed under the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), Guyana Redd + Investment Fund (GRIF).
Amerindian Affairs Minister, Pauline Sukhai and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Country Representative Khadija Musa joined the Head of State at Santa Aratack village, a riverine community in Region Three where the village launched the “Santac Tours and Travel”.
Also on the occasion, the village and its leaders along with the officials commissioned a guest house and dining hall.
This project has now paved the way for 100 plus Amerindian communities to receive funding for their Community Development Plans (CDPs). According to Minister Sukhai, she was recently informed that the sum of US$6.3 million has been released and is ready for disbursement to the other communities. The Minister expressed her satisfaction over the timely completion of the project and the quality of work that has been done on the guest house.
“This project is one that will forever resound in the minds of all who are here. It is Heritage Month and it is important that you chose to launch this facility and of course the project, which is one among 26 that is progressing. This is the first one that is being formally launched, and I want to congratulate you.”
The Minister noted that it is remarkable what the villagers were able to do with the money allocated to them as it relates to good management.
“It does not matter how much funding we give, what matters is that we get value for the money and how well you manage it, it will be an important feature in Amerindian development.”
The Minister told the gathering that it is their resourcefulness which brought about this kind of development as it also reflects unity.
“It’s resounding evidence and I call on other villages to follow suit, and indeed it is also evidence to those who feel that investment funds placed in Amerindian people go to waste.”
Musa also lauded the initiative and the residents for what she described as outstanding work.
“It’s really an honour to be here to see the final results, I was here a few months ago and saw it in progress and it’s amazing… I think that whatever you will need going forward from here is quite minor.” The UNDP Country Representative also expressed her satisfaction with the quality of work that was put into the project.
She, however, encouraged the villagers not to move away from their culture while executing this project as it is very important and it is what will attract persons. “The world wants to know about you and your culture. It is important to see how you sing your songs, introduce your history of the community.”
She also urged the residents to maintain a very high standard at the guest house, as well as the service they will be providing. “I think this community will continue to be an example as we unfold the second phase of Amerindian Economic Development Programme. They create a window for other villages.”
Musa also pledged the continuous support of her organisation towards the project as she thanked the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs for their contribution to the project, as well as the Office of Climate Change.
Meanwhile, President Ramotar, in his address, spoke of the many investments made by the current administration over the years in hinterland communities. He recalled that when the PPP/C Government took up office, there were little or no opportunities for hinterland communities, but that has changed over the years.
“Very few hinterland children had the opportunity to go to school… when we think that today that I can stand and tell you that we are closer to having Universal Secondary Education, that itself is a major achievement for our country as whole.”
Under the current administration, over 1000 schools have been built across the country, making provision for every hinterland child.
“Where we can’t put a school in every community, we built schools with dorms, free uniforms, meals, text books and now the $10,000 grant, this will ensure all our children go to school.”
Pointing to the recent Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exams results, the President noted that the country’s top students came from every administrative region, including hinterland regions. As a result of Government’s investment, the President noted that in Waramadong, 700 children are attending school while there has also been an increase in attendance at Paramakatoi, Region Eight.
The Head of State also pointed out that the largest portion of the national budget goes to the social sector with a significant portion going towards the education sector, and “that is not by accident, it is because we recognise that investing in our people, the human capital is very important”.
According to the President, it has been a proven fact that there is a direct link between education and poverty and with more educated people, the border of poverty is pushed further away.
Speaking about other developmental initiatives for hinterland communities, the President zeroed in on the Hinterland Electrification Programme, which has seen communities being equipped with solar panels. Eleven thousand of those are already installed, and more are to come. Mention was also made of the indigenous communities’ contribution towards the LCDS. He noted that Guyana’s model is being used in places like Indonesia and is now being looked at by Congo.
Meanwhile, with regard to the project which was launched, the President lauded the efforts of the villagers. He called on the residents of Santa Mission to capitalise on the initiative, as it will have several spin-off benefits for their community.
“I join the call for you to look at your marketing, you have to attract people and make them want to come. This can help to develop your craft industry and your market too. It is not limited to people who come here, having the Internet now, the whole world becomes a market where people can buy your goods.”
He also urged the residents to maintain their culture as it will boost their product.
The Santac Tours and Travel is a community-based approach to cultural and heritage tourism. The concept is to promote and preserve indigenous knowledge and skills through interpretation, providing an alternate mean of livelihood and professional development.
This new project, which is the Santa Mission’s CDP under the LCDS/GRIF initiative, will provide tour packages, tour guides, destination management, natural resources management and training. With the new guest house, persons can now plan overnight trips at the Santa Aratack reservation and with the dining area in place, it provides a new atmosphere for company retreats and other functions.
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