A total of ten families in Region 2-Mainstay/Whyaka Village and Region 5- West Coast Berbice have signed contracts and will receive homes from Food for the Poor (Guyana) Inc. under the organization’s General Housing Program. A simple contract signing ceremony was held in the organization’s conference room with the beneficiaries and officials from FFTP.
Under the program, the families will receive a 20ft x 16ft wooden two-bedroom house outfitted with a modern flush toilet facility for Region 5 and an outdoor modern flush toilet facility for Region 2 and rain harvesting component free of cost. The homes will be provided with partial furnishing; four metal folding chairs, one plastic folding table, two small beds with mattresses (cots), one two-burner tabletop gas stove and one solar panel depending on its availability and given that the family is not connected to the National Electricity Grid.
The housing beneficiaries were chosen following a visit and need assessment to the village and region by Ms. Andrea Benjamin-Senior Project Manager and Mr. Orin Nelson-Project Associate. Ms. Benjamin stated that the project is part of the organization’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.
Additionally, Mr. 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.
All the beneficiaries are all legal citizens of Guyana, have dependents under the age of 16 years old and are living in a Low Standard building/environs. 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, Ms. Nadira Seecharan, a mother of four (4), 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.
Mr. Mark Archibald, 55 years and past president of the Disabled Person Network, Region Five (5), is visually impaired and expressed how overwhelmed he is. He stated that he has never owned his own home, and this kind gesture has made him happy that FFTP (Guyana) Inc cares for him.