Members of the differently-abled community are being trained to make concrete blocks for use in the construction industry, according to a release yesterday from the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA).
An $875,000 block-making shed donated by CH&PA was also commissioned at the opening ceremony at the Guyana Society for the Blind at High Street, Werk-en-Rust, Georgetown and a quantity of equipment was handed over including wheelbarrows and spades.
The Ministry of Housing and Water in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism launched the block-making workshop for members of the differently-abled community, under the Community-based Employment Stimulation Programme (CESP).
Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal said that the training will provide a number of economic opportunities and mitigate unemployment levels, even as the COVID-19 pandemic has created more challenges for persons with disabilities.
“It has exacerbated the inequalities within communities and its impact is devastating to persons with disabilities, those who are unemployed, women and children, the elderly, indigenous and other minorities” Croal said.
CESP, the release said, is the brainchild of President Irfaan Ali and was officially launched in early May 2021.
The release said that the training is being done for two days: yesterday and today. Twelve visually impaired persons from the Society for the Blind and the Ruimveldt Parent Support Group are expected to be trained during this session. The trainees will be also be educated in the areas of money management, life skills and job readiness. The CH&PA is also looking to train another nineteen persons living with various disabilities in the next month.
The Guyana National Bureau of Standards will be testing the blocks to ensure that they meet the necessary specifications.
All blocks produced through the CESP programme are expected to supply contractors under CH&PA’s housing programmes. The release said that the project will run from 2021-2025 at an estimated cost of $20 million. A sum of $3.9M has been allotted to pilot the project in 2021.
