Volunteers with New Horizons Guyana during the delivery of furniture to the new Bel Air Nursery School.

A spanking new building, valued at US$230,000, to house the operations of the Bel Air Nursery School, will be ready for the new school year on Tuesday.

The 30 by 70 foot structure was built by U.S. Air Force civil engineers from New Horizons Guyana, a U.S. organisation that does humanitarian work in partner countries of the United States.

The New Horizons Guyana programme is one designed to strengthen U.S. ties with partner nations in Central and South America, through combined quality-of-life improvement projects.

In Guyana’s case the quality-of-life improvements projects are being done at a total cost of US$9M.

Facilitating these projects are American volunteer soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen participating in the New Horizons Guyana, a U.S. Southern Command exercise, on two week rotations.

The projects undertaken include:

* The renovation of a school building at Timehri on the East Bank Demerara;

* The construction of a health centre at La Penitence;

* Eight medical assistance initiatives that see support at Timehri Primary School and the Diamond Secondary School, the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), Linden Hospital and Skeldon Hospital; and

* The construction of a school house in Bel Air, Georgetown.

Helping to deliver a donated refrigerator to the new Bel Air Nursery School building.

Additionally, the U.S. Marine 4th Civil Affairs Unit, New Horizons Guyana, in conjunction Food for the Poor, furnished the facility.

As part of a continuous partnership between the U.S. and Guyana, Food for the Poor, a non-governmental organisation, donated the items and the U.S. military were responsible for physically moving and loading them into the school yesterday. The donations included new tables, chairs, bookshelves and other essential items.

The concrete facility encompasses a large area, separated by wooden partitions, which will act as the classrooms; two toilets and a bathroom; an office area for the headteacher and a kitchen.

According to one of the volunteers spearheading the project, Chief Master Sergeant Steven Milhollin of the U. S. Air Force Reserves, the project was completed two weeks ahead of schedule.

“We wanted the building to be finished for the new school year so we paced ourselves to meet that deadline,” Milhollin said.

The volunteer stated that while the building will be completed and furnished, the New Horizons team will maintain a presence there since other small projects such as fencing still have to be completed.

He pointed out too that the team of volunteers pooled funds to present the school with a computer and printer.

Additionally Milhollin said that there was a sum between US$150 and US$200 set aside for school supplies and another sum amounting to approximately US$700 that will be handed over to the school.

Milhollin said, “Aside from the funding that was available to construct the school, some of the volunteers decided that they wanted to contribute something more which is why we decided to do a collection to assist in other ways.”

However, aside from the satisfaction of being able to help with the educating the younger ones, the volunteer asserted that the eagerness and happiness of the children were ultimately rewarding.