Several residents of Leopold Street, Georgetown yesterday participated in a concrete block making training programme under the auspices of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA) of the Ministry of Housing and Water’s Community-based Employment Stimulation Project (CESP).
According to a CHPA press release, the aim of the programme is to enhance the skill set and employment opportunities of residents, especially youth, in vulnerable communities and groups.
The training session was led by Deputy Director of Community Development Donell Bess-Bascom and Project Engineer Esan Barry. It comprised a theoretical session where the importance of quality assurance was emphasised and practical demonstrations.
The ministry provided 56 sacks of cement, two loads of sand, wheelbarrows, spades, buckets, four and six-inch moulds, long boots and gloves to start the programme. The blocks produced will be used to supply contractors in the ministry’s housing programme as long as they meet the necessary standards, the release said. The trained residents will have the opportunity to construct housing units under the national housing programme, it added.
Since the launch of the CESP in 2021, CHPA has aided training and start-up support for groups in Mocha, East Bank Demerara, the Guyana Council of Organi-sations for Persons with Disabilities and Ruimveldt Parent Support Group.
