The NGO Food for the Poor (Guyana) Inc., on Saturday handed over a Community Resource Centre building to the people of Baramita Village, North West District, Region One.
The centre is the first of its kind in the community which has seen high rates of poverty, unemployment, domestic abuse, suicide and teenage pregnancy. Food for the Poor (Guyana) Inc., in a press release stated that the Centre “will allow for life and skills training and large indoor gatherings which will aid in addressing the aforementioned social problems”.
The centre is a 50ft x 30ft two-flat wooden structure with indoor sanitary facilities, an area for skills training in the lower flat, and an open hall in the upper flat for community meetings and other social engagements. A 3000-watt solar panel system was installed to provide electricity and 40 steel folding chairs and six folding tables were donated for the open hall. Construction of the building commenced in early 2020. There were some delays caused by the Coronavirus pandemic, the release said. However, it was successfully completed in November last year. The building was designed specifically for the community with a large open area on the upper flat that allows for natural lighting and adequate ventilation.
The construction of the building provided a boost for the local economy as all the lumber for the mainframe and flooring were procured from within the community. The building was constructed by the NGO with funding from Food for the Poor Canada and a group of donors namely Frank Corker, Bernadette Logan, Jim and Bonnie Frye, and is part of an initiative to promote socioeconomic development in Baramita. The Baramita Resource Centre is the second community centre building constructed in 2020 by Food for the Poor (Guyana) Inc. In December 2020, a centre designed for the differently-abled was constructed at Seafield Village, West Coast Berbice and handed over to the Disabled People’s Network.
