– to push modernisation of the ‘green’ town

Story by Ariana Gordon, photos by Delano Williams
STRENGTHENING the human-resource capacity of Bartica will be among the primary focus areas for the Mayor and Town Council over the next few months.
Bartica’s Mayor Gifford Marshall, in an interview with the Guyana Chronicle on Saturday, said that since taking office in March 2016, much emphasis has been placed on infrastructural changes within the township.

Indeed,take a walk around the town and one can point to some recent improvements in infrastructure: the Bartica Market, the Byderabo dumpsite, and the rehabilitation of some roads within the township are but a few examples.

But Marshall explained that while infrastructural development is critical for comfort of the people who benefit, those who reside in the respective communities need to be empowered. He told the Guyana Chronicle that over the next six months, his municipality will be investing in its people.

“We believe that once we invest in the people, they would better understand and appreciate what we are doing as their leaders,” said Marshall, who was recently re-elected Mayor of Bartica.

The mayor noted, too, that there is a great need for capacity-building as well, and in some cases institutional strengthening. He believes that once empowered, persons would be in a better position to understand the town’s vision, and that way progress would be fast-tracked.

But while he was quick to note that all is not well in Bartica, the young mayor has promised that no effort will be spared in assisting those who are in dire need of housing or other social services. Moreover, the mayor indicated that plans are on stream to work with stakeholders to ensure that the township’s differently-abled obtain a building where they, too, can strengthen their capacities.

“For years, they would have been suffering and moving from place to place, and we have to change that,” Marshall said. “We need to have a centre for them. We started efforts last year, but we have not gone as far as we would love to,” he told the Guyana Chronicle, while noting that efforts will continue in this regard. He is hoping that by year-end, construction of the centre for persons living with disabilities in Bartica would begin.

TERTIARY SCHOLARSHIPS
That aside, the Bartica Mayor and Town Council has started a scholarship programme for persons who are desirous of attending a tertiary institution.
“At this point, we recognise there is a little breakdown with tertiary institutions in Bartica. As a result, we want to give our young people an option; that is to push them,” said Mayor Marshall, who noted that there is currently a scholarship awardee attending the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA).

“We also have a number of young people who dropped out of school who would like to become nurses or teachers,” he said, “but do not have the required subjects at CXC. So we are facilitating that process by allowing them to go back and acquire those CXC subjects.”
Marshall explained that a number of the school dropouts will be writing CXC this year, after which they will be encouraged to pursue academic paths of their choice. Many of them have since indicated that they have an interest in becoming nurses and teachers.
“This is at the expense of the Council. Wherever we cannot afford to meet those needs, we will make representation, whether to Social Protection, Ministry of Communities or non-governmental organisations because of course, given our limited resources, we can’t meet all the needs of the people,” the mayor stated.

And acknowledging that there are a number of deep-rooted issues plaguing the mining community, the mayor explained that there needs to be a cultural shift in the manner in which residents of Bartica operate.

He said that over the years, people in the mining town did not take education seriously, as more emphasis was placed on making a dollar from mining gold and diamonds. “We cannot fault anyone but ourselves for that position that we are in,” he said, but that with the help of stakeholders, it is the intention of his municipality to ensure that children remain in the school system.

Over the years, the number of school dropouts has increased significantly across the country, and Bartica and its outlying communities are no exception. Efforts are, however, being made to remind parents that children need to attend school regularly, as well as ensure they understand the importance of an education.

But while the problem of school dropouts in Bartica may be prevalent, Marshall explained that the issue stems from parents being ill-equipped to manage the limited resources available to them when they have large numbers of children.

FAMILY PLANNING
In fact, many persons within the community have as much as 12 children. “We have to ensure some amount of family planning; we have to raise the bar where that is concerned,” he said. “We have some situations where we meet mothers with nine or 11 children and we need to have some amount of family planning and counselling.”

Noting that the number of children persons have, though a personal choice, affects the entire community, the mayor explained that when parents are unable to care for their children, then in some cases, they turn to a life of crime.

“We don’t want thieves or persons who are falling prey to sexual abuse and so on. There is need for us to protect the future and ensure that our young people are guided properly and mentored, but it starts with the family,” Marshall remarked, while committing to working with stakeholders on the subject.

He said it is because of the challenges facing many families in Bartica to send their children to school or to advance their studies, that the scholarship programme was created. “We are focusing on our people, and we are going to have business training sessions,” he said. “We will bring in the Small Business Bureau, Tourism and Hospitality group, to name a few, so everyone can benefit.”

Marshall stressed that over the next six months, he and his team will focus on “building our people, and sensitising them.”

Additionally, the mayor said Bartica has been known for its partying culture, and while there isn’t anything wrong with socialising, there is a need for a shift in thinking. “We believe, quietly, we need to change or influence positive values, or values that would allow us to live as a happy people for a very long time and of course preserve our environment,” the mayor said.

ALCOHOL ABUSE
On the issue of alcohol abuse and the dangers it can pose, Marshall said: “It can be associated with sexual abuse, child neglect, domestic violence…it runs really deep and it puts a strain on all of our resources,” but that the municipality is working towards creating more open spaces so that families can socialise.

The mayor said since the creation of the country’s first boardwalk on the Bartica foreshore, more families are seen spending quality time together there.
“I have never seen so many couples walking, holding hands. But now you have an environment that creates a new culture; somewhere you can go where there is no noise…you go and enjoy nature, breeze and that is what we want.”

Marshall continued: “We want to strengthen the family, and build our people. We want to continue with these initiatives, because we believe it will cause significant changes that we want within the community. We are providing alternatives to the bars and the clubs. There is a different and better life.”

Additionally, the Bartica municipality is working with stakeholders to preserve the rich culture of the indigenous peoples while promoting their homes as tourist sites.
“We want to preserve that heritage, that richness, so we will do whatever it takes to ensure those persons’ needs are met, while at the same time preserving the area because we see it as an attraction to tourism.”

Marshall told the Guyana Chronicle that a number of persons during the recently held Bartica Regatta visited several indigenous communities and purchased cassava bread, casareep and other items.