THREE local organisations together received a total of US$ 270,510 in grants for major Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP) on Thursday.

The Japanese GGP grant assistance programme supports small developmental projects in the fields of health, education, skill training and social welfare.

St. Francis Community Developers, one of the recipients, received funding valued at US$90, 797 for the construction of a skills training resource centre in Corentyne, Berbice.
The centre will facilitate non-traditional skills training for over 500 adults and youths.
Iwokrama International Centre for Rain Forest Conservation and Development received US$89,900 for the construction of a medical service centre which will also provide literacy, numeracy and vocational life skills training for over 385 locals.

And the third recipient, Special Needs for Life, received a grant for US$89,813 to construct a multi-purpose centre in Kuma Village in the Rupununi area which will serve as a hub for the provision of social services to 1,200 residents of the area.
The joint signing of the agreement between the governments of Japan and Guyana was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday.
Counsellor and Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of Japan, Yoshinori Yakabe said that the three organisations, through the grants, will be better equipped to address the human security needs of Guyanese.

“Japan is very pleased to support these organisations in their efforts and we hope they will continue their work of providing essential, educational and social services to the people of Guyana,” Yakabe said.
He added: “The Government of Japan views this type of cooperation with NGOs and civil society organisations as a key part of maintaining [good] relations… to strengthen the bond of friendship with your country.”

Minister of Indigenous People’s Affairs, Sydney Allicock, said the grant provides much-needed aid for underrepresented communities.
“If we do not reach out to our people there [in the hinterlands], we would not be doing justice to the total development of our country,” Allicock said.
He elaborated: “We are in box which we call the coastal line and we have not been able to move out… it is a time for opening up so that other Guyanese can see what real Guyana is and how we could interact and how we could be able to have a better understanding of the coast and the hinterland so that we could truly unite this nation.”
KIND GESTURE
On behalf of the Government of Guyana, the Ministry of the Presidency and the Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs, Allicock thanked the Government of Japan for its years of friendship and the kind gesture to Guyana.
Agreeing with the minister’s comments was Honorary Consul-General to Japan, Kashir Khan.

“Guyana is a large, vast, largely untapped country where there are so much more people outside of what we generally see on the coastal belt. It is therefore heartening when I attend ceremonies such as these which show clearly that the emphasis is not only on the people who live on the coast but all of Guyana.”
According to one of the organisation representatives, Principal Executive Officer of Special Needs for Life, Mark Adams, the constructions will help to provide opportunities for the Kuma culture groups to host their Brazilian counterparts as well as provide easier access to medical services.

“The construction of this building allows the community in Kuma to come together at a particular location to receive whatever interventions the other stakeholders can provide,” Adams said.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Iwokrama International Centre for Rain Forest Conservation and Development, Dane Gobin said the 400-500 persons who utilise their medical aid will be now treated in a better facility.
“These kinds of facilities are extremely useful to be used to train people not only by our personnel, but also by government and visiting personnel. Because of the remoteness of the location, not too many medical services are available, so we provide a very important service in that region,” Gobin said.
President of St. Francis Community Developers, Alex Foster said the grant will facilitate training and capacity-building for at-risk individuals in the region, especially those affected by the sugar estates closures.
Adviser to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Rawle Lucas said Guyana’s 50-year strong relationship with Japan helps to fill a special gap, providing critical solutions to social and economic deficiencies present in many communities.
The recipients thanked the Japanese Government for the support.