First Lady Arya Ali and regional officials on Wednesday visited Venezuelan migrants, who have occupied parts of the Barima-Waini Region, to conduct a needs assessment during which she donated supplies.
Between November 2021 and early March 2022 over 125 Warrau migrants paddled for approximately 10 days, in canoes, from the Mabaruma Sub-District in Region One into the Pomeroon River where they were housed by the residents of Kabakaburi Village.
Earlier in March, the Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard removed the Warrau migrants and placed them in a refugee camp on Khan Hill, Mabaruma. The banishment of the indigenous migrants from Kabakaburi was sudden and left the villagers there questioning the move.
A release yesterday from her office said that Mrs Ali learnt of the state of the migrants last month through a news report and decided to support government’s efforts in offering assistance.
In the company of regional officials, including Regional Chairman Brentnol Ashley and Regional Executive Officer (REO) Teka Bissessar, the release said that the First Lady visited more than 200 of the migrants at Khan Hill.
Mrs Ali donated a large quantity of sanitary supplies and water and spoke to some of the migrants to better understand their needs and concerns.
Most of the migrants are of the Warrau Nation and cannot speak English. As such, the release said that the Ministry of Local Government through the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) has set up a management team which includes a translator.
“We discovered that the most important things for the migrants now are food, clothing and proper shelter. It is important for us to understand their needs before we offer assistance because we have to be conscious of the cultural differences,” the First Lady said in the release.
She added that her Office will now begin mobilizing food and clothing, and have those delivered to the migrants through the Local Government Ministry.
The release said that the Government is in the process of building a housing facility for some of the migrants, and exploring ways to have them contribute to the regional economy through employment.
Mrs Ali has also discussed the possibility of erecting a separate building which can serve as a village kitchen for the migrants.
“They are here and they are in need, and we are trying our best to provide support to them. At the end of the day, they are people just like us, with children just like us, and they want a better life for themselves and their children just like anyone would. So because they are here, we have a moral obligation to assist if we can,” the First Lady said in the release.
