The Food For The Poor (Guyana) Incorporated on Friday handed over 10 semi-furnished houses to residents of Region Six, fulfilling their dreams of finally becoming homeowners.
The houses, which are located within the East Bank Berbice, New Amsterdam, and Canje areas, will benefit a total of 16 adults and 45 children.
Food For The Poor (FFTP) Guyana in collaboration with St. Francis Community Developers and others have so far constructed and distributed 385 houses within Region Six.
Chief Executive Officer of Food for the Poor Kent Vincent emphasised that the organisation is hoping to continue its support of the development of Region Six and Guyana. He noted that at the beginning of the project they had started to build smaller houses with outside washroom facilities, after which they moved to a bigger size with indoor toilet facilities, tanks and a rain harvesting system all included.
“So it means over the years we continue to improve on the quality of the homes that we are giving.”
He also pointed out that while overseas donors have played a tremendous role in the success of the housing project, it is important that Guyanese within the corporate sector and others also consider contributing, especially considering the current rise in building material costs.
Andrea Benjamin, Senior Project Officer at FFTP, in her remarks, posited that improved homes means improved communities. “Better accommodation also means children do well in school”, she said while stressing that the beneficiaries, [the] children, now have access to electricity or solar panels so that they can study more.”
She added that in improved communities there is also an expected decrease in crime. “At the end of the day the work of Food for the Poor, its collaborating partners, everybody here and those who are not here, we are contributing to the social development of this country.”
In addition to the construction of the houses, families also received three beds, one table with four folding chairs, and a gas stove, and those who are not connected to GPL will receive solar panels.
The Senior Project Officer pointed out that while FFTP has encountered some challenges, they are continuing to work to implement other projects as well. “
Alex Foster, President of the St. Francis Community Developers, who has been the point person for FFTP’s housing project in Region Six since the beginning, declared that his goal is to complete at least 500 houses in Region Six, after which he hopes to embark on an extension of the project.
He also underscored the improvement the houses have brought to the lives of the vulnerable families.
Foster, in collaboration with the Spotlight Initiative, is offering counselling and other services to the families.
One of the beneficiaries, Neil Eleixie Archer, 43, a single father of three boys, of Lot 800 Glasgow New Housing Scheme, East Bank Berbice, broke into tears while expressing his gratitude towards FFTP and Foster on Friday. He said, “Today is a happy day for the children, they are happy and I would like to say thanks to Food for the Poor for what they have done for my children.”
He relayed, that having to rent has not been easy on his family “but I take care of my children and I must say Food for the Poor has done a wonderful thing in the children life and once they are happy I am happy.”
The man said that his sons are extremely happy and have told him that they will now live happy and take care of each other.
