…Deep South Rupununi toshao hails work of gov’t in Reg. 9

By Alva Solomon
IT was almost 18:00hrs on Saturday afternoon and Toshao of the Deep-South Rupununi village of Awarewaunau, Vitalis Alfred, was preparing to listen to the news on National Communications Network’s (NCN) affiliate, Radio Aishalton.
It was a moment which he never dreamed would have existed until February 2018, when the radio station was switched on at Aishalton.

Today, many villagers at Awarewaunau are able to follow developments across the country and beyond via the radio station, one of several which were commissioned by the David Granger-led administration, across the country.

Vitalis, an ardent follower of current affairs, told the Guyana Chronicle from his home on Saturday, that he would “read between the lines” to see if the government of the day is paying attention to the development of the village.

The former educator, who started his teaching career in 1977 before retiring in 2015, said he would listen to the plans which the politicians “come with to our village, but we know better.”

Quiet recently, a group of activists from an opposition political party visited the remote village to lay down their plans but according to the village leader, he was too busy participating in other village matters outside the village, all geared at development and enhancing awareness in the village.

“They give statistics of what this (APNU+AFC) government has done for the past four years and what they, the opposition, would do. They said things like increasing salary, they didn’t say how, but and they would try to tell us that there is no development,” he said.
But the village leader commended the coalition government for working to improve the lives of residents in the area. “I think they did something worthwhile for their four years in office, when compared to the other one which had 23 years,” Alfred said in a frank tone.
The village leader had a question of his own. “I asked what they have done in the past 23 years, there is no visible sign,” he said.

He recalled that for years, the Opposition Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) “did nothing for us.” According to him, in the weeks leading up to the 2015 elections, “they came with graders and try to impress upon us and grade a little 800 meters in each village.”
Alfred said it was one of the most appalling situations he had ever observed. “That was the only thing they did, and then they shared out solar panels but those are from the Norway project, that wasn’t from them, it was tax-payers money which was coming right back to us here” he said.

LINK TO THE AIRWAVES
The village leader said that while he holds a neutral position on political issues, he would not place a blind eye on development in the village and further afield.
He credited the coalition government for linking Awarewaunau to the airwaves through Radio Aishalton, as well as the implementation of a remote Wi-Fi communication system, which he noted is still undergoing some testing.
He said that although the road network in the area feels the brunt of rainy weather, the coalition government has been continuously maintaining the roads in the Deep-South Rupununi. He reiterated that although the roads have been graded, one cannot stop Mother Nature. “We are happy for those upgrading of the roads,” he said.

WATER
In 2018, as part of a Complementary Agreement to the Basic Agreement on Technical Cooperation signed between the Presidents of Guyana and Brazil, to develop infrastructure projects, the Brazilian Army Engineering and Construction Battalion (BEC) undertook a project which entailed the drilling of eight wells in eight South Rupununi villages to provide water security during the dry seasons.

Awarewaunau was one such village selected and according to Alfred, although not fully completed, the village will benefit fully when that project is 100 per cent completed.
However, he noted that another project was undertaken by the government to upgrade the water system and as such, some households are now able to have improved access to potable water.

HE explained that Guyana Water Inc. (GWI) officials stated that low pressure was an issue they faced in connecting the well to households. He expressed hope that the situation will be remedied.

HEYS
Alfred said that several villagers are the beneficiaries of grants which fall under the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs flagship project: the Hinterland Employment and Youth Service (HEYS) programme, and they are currently developing their businesses. “Officials would come from time to time to monitor their progress and this is good for the people so that they can do things independently,” the village leader said.

NEEDS OF THE VILLAGE
He said at the moment, the village is working to raise funds to repair its minibus which was given to the council by the coalition government under the government’s Five ‘B’s programme. He said, as expected, the bus experienced mechanical problems after continuous use and sourcing spares is an issue facing the village.
He noted that the bus came as a blessing for school children living in far-flung areas of the village.

Alfred noted too that job creation, although a complex issue, should be examined more by the authorities. He said that for decades, there are students who leave the villages to enhance their qualifications but on return to the village, the only available opportunities, like most Hinterland areas, are teaching and working with the health sector.
He said the opposition politicians have been harping on the large number of jobs they will make available to the hinterland areas but this, he noted, is impossible. “I am sure they won’t give me a job,” he said.

WIND AND SOLAR PROJECTS
Alfred noted that the word Awarewaunau in Wapishiana signifies “windy hill”, and this name was given to the village since it sits atop a hill.

On this note, the village leader said that the authorities should consider placing wind energy projects in the village as a means to power the community. In addition, he posited that the villagers would welcome a large-scale solar project since he noted that agriculture is a major economic activity at the village. As such, the need for cold storage for produce is vital.

He said too that finding markets for produce is a bugbear which villagers have faced for many years. He explained that Coastlanders would enter the village to buy their produce and propose low sums of monies for products such as peanuts and farine.
He explained that a pound of farine is sold for $150 but the traders would propose $100, noting that the villagers have very little choices. “If we can get better markets that would be helpful,” Alfred added.

The village leader was elected in 2018 after years of turning down the opportunity as proposed by the village of 700.

He said that in 2018, when he was elected to serve to village, he placed accountability and development of his people as among the priorities. Alfred said he had no cause to launch an election campaign to be village leader. “I didn’t ask a single person to vote for me, the people saw leadership quality in me and maybe they were tired of the previous leaders,” he said, as he prepared to tune his radio to Radio Aishalton to catch the news.