The US Embassy Humani-tarian Assistance Programme (HAP) has donated $2 million worth of education and sport supplies to three schools in the outlying communities in Region 10.
Embassy officials visited Linden last week to make the donation to the regional administration. The items including TVs, DVD players, computers, phonics programmes and sports equipment are for the Ituni, Rockstone and Coomacka primary schools. They are expected to be used to boost the students’ literacy skills through sports and the framework of media integration and communication.
At a simple ceremony hosted at the Mackenzie High School auditorium, HAP Director Jordan Burfield said the donation was the fulfilment of a commitment HAP’s field team made to the recipients in June.
Burfield said that regional officials had highlighted that education was a big focus and requested that the team visit some of the outlying communities to assess their needs.
“We were able to talk with some of the children, the teachers and some other people to figure out… how we can help,” he said. Burfield noted that there was a lack of media and ways to take the next step in technology. Additionally, most of the children did not have much to do in their free time, hence the provision of sport equipment.
Regional Executive Officer Henry Rodney said more focus needs to be placed on schools in the hinterland communities of Region Ten. He said in this way, similar programmes will benefit communities closer to central locations while the RDC seeks to work out a plan that would provide programmes for the more far-flung communities in the Berbice River and the further parts of the Mabura district. “Those children and those institutions are not so fortunate to have these kinds of benefits which are essential to their own development and education as a whole,” he noted, alluding to the $20 nillion donated to the education system in 2009.
HAP had provided a quantity of equipment which benefited the Home Economics departments of the Mackenzie High, Wismar and Christianburg Secondary schools while sport supplies were donated to the Kara Kara and One Mile Primary schools. It also expects to donate a number of computers to boost the region’s education sector.