Ten families in Region Two (Mainstay/ Whyaka) and Region Five (West Coast Berbice) will be the beneficiaries of homes from Food for the Poor (FFTP) Guyana Inc.
A contract signing ceremony was held in the organization’s conference room with the beneficiaries and officials from FFTP on August 30.
The project falls under the organization’s General Housing Programme and the families will receive a 20 foot by 16 foot wooden two-bedroom house outfitted with a modern flush toilet facility for Region Five and an outdoor modern flush toilet facility for Region Two, along with a rain harvesting component free of cost. The homes will be provided with partial furnishings – four metal folding chairs, one plastic folding table, two small beds with mattresses (cots), a two-burner tabletop gas stove and one solar panel.
The housing beneficiaries were chosen following a needs assessment along with a visit to the village and region by Senior Project Manager, Andrea Benjamin, and Project Associate, Orin Nelson. Benjamin explained that the project is part of the organisation’s aims and objectives and vision of restoring dignity, eradicating poverty, building sustainable and resilient communities and making families happier and more comfortable across Guyana.
Meanwhile, Nelson spoke with the families about good hygiene, use of the sanitary facility, and caring for the new structure. During the construction period, the housing beneficiaries are required to participate in parental skills training, anger management, self-care, domestic violence and child abuse workshops. These sessions will be facilitated by Child Link Guyana.
The beneficiaries are all citizens of Guyana, have dependents under the age of 16 years old, and are living in a Low Standard building/environment. Further, two of the housing beneficiaries are living with permanent disabilities and have medical conditions, hence they are unable to earn an income.
One of the beneficiaries, Nadira Seecharan, a mother of four, expressed her gratitude to FFTP (Guyana) and said she is grateful to own her own home and that her children will now have a room of their own.
Mark Archibald, 55, Past President of the Disabled Persons Network, Region Five, who is visually impaired, expressed how overwhelmed he is. He stated that he has never owned his own home, and this kind gesture has made him happy to know that FFTP (Guyana) cares for him.
