Around 500 households in Bartica and surrounding communities will now benefit from an additional $40,000 in income each month following the launch of the government’s part-time jobs initiative in Region Seven on Saturday.
The initiative will see one person from the households working 10 days for the prescribed amount, in areas like health, agriculture, education, and community development, the Department of Public Information (DPI) reported.
Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira, who was accompanied by Minister of Public Service, Sonia Parag, and regional officials at the launch, urged residents to take advantage of the job opportunities.
“The Vice President has started this initiative to ensure that those who are particularly vulnerable are able to assist their families, to improve the quality of their lives,” she said.
Attendees, who turned out in their numbers at the St John the Baptist Primary School in Bartica expressed eagerness over the programme.
Horton Blackman, a Bartica resident who registered for a community development programme, thanked the government for the initiative, DPI said.
Adesa De La Cruz, who expressed interest in health, education and data analysis, said that the programme gave her hope to pursue a career in education, since her own schooling was cut abruptly when she fled Venezuela over four years ago.
She is also pursuing accounting under the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) scholarship programme, which she believes will be an asset to her in the future.
“I think this programme is a good initiative… It would be great if the government can continue providing jobs to people,” Thalia Gonsalves, one of the attendees, said, according to DPI.
