…urge swift move to regularisation

By Naomi Marshall

RESIDENTS of Durban Backlands, a community of squatters, remain optimistic as they await a decision by government to regularise their community.

The community which has been in existence for over 40 years can be found behind the Chinese Embassy, located on Mandela Avenue. However, for those 40 plus years the community has not been able to tap some services due to its state as a squatter settlement.

Back in March this year the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) commissioned 29 standpipes in the community pending its regularisation. Minister of State Joseph Harmon and GWI’s Managing-Director, Dr. Richard Van-West Charles, commissioned the water network system. This now allows the more than 3,000 residents squatting in Durban Backlands, to have access to potable water 24/7 at 29 strategic locations.
GWI managing-director had said that the move to address the issue which spans decades aligns with the theme for World Water Day 2019, that is, “Leaving no one behind.”
As part of government’s mission to bridge the social divide between the coastland and the hinterland, the ‘served’ and the ‘underserved,’ GWI will be commissioning a number of projects throughout communities across the country to improve their access to potable water.

Dr. Van-West Charles told the residents that GWI’s programmes are guided by the United Nations (UN’s) Sustainable Development Goal No. 6, which underscores the importance of providing “clean water to all,” and President David Granger’s quest to eradicate the inequities on the coast or the coast and the hinterland of Guyana. He said in the case of the Durban Backlands Squatting Area, GWI, in deciding on the project, took into consideration the essential nature of the commodity (water), and its importance to good health and proper hygiene.

It’s our home

During a sit down interview with the Guyana Chronicle, Community Representative, Kyle Solomon, said that although residents have been lacking some services the community is where they call home.

He added, “nevertheless, we have not loss heart, we remain optimistic that they are going to get to it and we understand sometimes the challenges that these agencies would normally face that would cause them to not act in the speediest of manner.”

Resident of the community for over 30 years, Gorge Byass, stated that the residents are not prepared to move, if regularisation of the community is declined. “If they say we have to move, we aren’t prepared for that cause a lot of people build real foundation here and a lot of people won’t want to move from the community like that,” he added.
However he stated, “If they have to relocate us to somewhere else, then they got to give us an offer but the government aint coming up and tell us nothing about what going on.”
Byass described the community to be one of unity and added that the life there is nice despite the lacking of necessities.
“Life here is nice and we don’t get no problem like people thieving or anything,” he said.

Programme for school drop-out

In the meantime, Byass is requesting that the government provides programmes for school drop outs in the community, create jobs, and recreational centers for the residents. “Everybody ain’t get like permanent jobs but when the day come, we got work we got to do like emptying containers and that is how we live we life here but we does live real happy,” Byass explained.

However, already government back in June launched a comprehensive Teen Pregnancy Prevention and Empowerment Programme aimed at helping to prevent sexual abuse and empowering at risk teenagers in the D’urban Backlands area. The programme is hosted by the Ministry of Social Protection’s Child Care and Protection Agency (CCPA) in collaboration with the Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association (GRPA). It began in May and will be concluded in July.

Probation Officer at CCPA, Sharon Henry, had explained that the objectives of the programme are to help teenagers realise their self-worth, make positive choices and decisions, protect themselves, and delay sexual activities and associated consequences. “So during the sessions we’re helping these children to understand themselves, help them to build self-esteem, teach them about HIV and how to eliminate teenage pregnancy, not only with girls but boys who contribute to it and teach them to wait on the right time to have sex”, Henry related.

The Teen Pregnancy Prevention and Empowerment Programme was implemented following a community exercise in the D’urban Backlands area in conjunction with the Ministries of Public Health and Social Protection held in April, which recognized that the empowerment of teenagers – particularly the female ones who are seen as prey by male adults – is crucial.

The programme targets thirty teenagers between the ages of 12 and 17 years old in D’urban Backlands. The sessions are facilitated by the Programme Officer responsible for Comprehensive Sexuality Education at GRPA, Chelsie France.

The Teen Pregnancy Prevention and Empowerment Programme was piloted in 2016, officially launched in 2017 and continued in 2018; it is set to be conducted across the Regions. To date it has reached teens in Regions One, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight and Ten. The programme is aimed at disseminating adequate information to teens/adolescents and provide support for them to make informed decisions about getting involved in sexual activity that can result in unwanted pregnancies and STDs. It is implemented in collaboration with key stakeholders and Non- Governmental Organisations partners including the Guyana Police Force, Blossom Incorporated, ChildLink and Youth Challenge Guyana.

Meanwhile, commenting on the stand pipes Byass indicated that the community is grateful for the standpipes and calls it “one foot forward,” however he stated that persons are more awaiting the land to be approved.
Carmalita Collins, resident of the community for 15 years, said that the community is striving to cooperate and live as one until things could be better. “We just trying to live and live the right way. You just have to hustle and save in the meantime so by time things show up on you, you already know what you heading for,” she said.

Kenisha Logan has been a resident of the community for 12 years and stated that living without the basic services has been tough for her and her family. She added, “We glad if the ministry could do something because is long we waiting and we want everything regularise.”
Currently in Guyana, there are over 216 squatting areas, of which many are currently in varying stages of being upgraded towards the attainment of housing scheme status.
One hundred and fifty-four of these have been brought under the regularisation programme and are being transformed into standardised housing areas. However, the remaining areas are either road reserves, sea defence reserves, other drainage reserves such as the banks of canals and are categorized as zero tolerance areas, in that, they cannot be regularised.