Residents of Moraikobai, the only Amerindian village in Region Five, 94 miles up the Mahaicony River, received a 15hp Yamaha outboard engine from government on Thursday, and it will be used primarily to transport schoolchildren.
The engine, valued at almost half a million dollars, was presented to the village Toshao Dereck Johnson by Minister within the Ministry of Local Government Norman Whittaker, fulfilling a promise made by government, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported.
Minister Whittaker was visiting the village in the company of the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary Collin Croal, Minister of Amerindian Affairs Pauline Sukhai and Regional Chairman Bindrabhan Bisnauth.
The Ministries of Amerindian Affairs and Local Government have been providing communities with vehicles, engines and boats to boost their economic standing and ensure children who live far from schools are given the opportunity to secure an education, GINA said.