SEVERAL Amerindian communities in Region One (Barima/Waini) have reiterated their support for the country’s ambitious Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS). They also acknowledged efforts and commitment by the Government to improve the lives of the indigenous people, during a recent four-day visit to the region by Minister of Housing and Water, Mr. Irfaan Ali and a team.
The journey saw them touching several communities, including Barabina, Kamwatta, Mabaruma, White Water, Wauna, Tobago Hill, Wanaina, Hosororo, Koberimo, Kokerite area, Kumaka, Sebai, Eclipse Falls, Matthews Ridge, and Port Kaituma, to assess the situation on the ground and bring much-needed relief to residents of these villages while outlining some other development plans to improve water supply to the hinterland communities.
Toshao of White Water, Mr. Ernest Samuels, said there has been a lot of development in the community, and alluded to the school-feeding programme which has started to benefit the children.
He also disclosed that recently the community received a cassava mill valued at $600,000 from the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs. With this machine they will be able to mill 3,000 pounds per day.
He said the community centre has been conducting sewing classes for women in the community to help in making uniforms and other garments for the children.
He said the Government has built a health hut in central White Water which has helped the community tremendously, delivering basic health care to persons, and on the education side, the number of teachers at the primary school is inadequate.

The Toshao concluded that the community has seen much improvements over the years, and he underscored that the presidential grants and other supports have helped them, too.
Residents of White Water will receive a boost from more than $7M in interventions to ensure an improved water supply.
A trestle has been completed and a well has been dug, and a solar system will be installed soon, supplying approximately 2,500 gallons of water to fill the tanks.
An additional $700,000 to $800,000 will be spent to bring a pipeline down to the school to fill the tanks there. And there will be stand pipes along the way so that residents will not have to walk to the trestle.
The White Water community, which is one of the areas that is severely affected, has about 1,600 residents, but this intervention will benefit about 700 persons.
Also, it was decided that a small rig will be brought into the area within six weeks to drill and install hand pumps in villages that do not this facility, in addition to repairing those existing ones.
Samuels noted that the El Nino situation is affecting the farmers, but he is happy with the intervention by the Government, and is thankful for the facility.
Alluding to the LCDS, he said it is definitely positive, noting, “We already had a meeting with the residents and they have agreed to the LCDS and we would harvest our forest sustainably.”
“We are having the forestry persons here at this present moment, they are here now educating us on how we must do the harvesting, the size of the trees, what distance we must harvest, and so forth,” he stated.
“We support the LCDS. There are some people seeing things differently, but we are seeing that this can be beneficial for us, ”  he stressed.
He said a vehicle is needed for the community in case of emergency, and a proposal will be given to the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs this month.

Edward Harris, a resident of White Water said of the strategy, “I feel that it is a good strategy, whereby, I see that communities will benefit, and not only the communities, the country as a whole, based on development”.
In Koberimo, which has some 215 residents, it was announced that having bought into the suggestion of linking the community with a pipeline from Barabina, this will be done within six weeks, ensuring a fresh supply of potable water with standpipes to be established at various points.
Koberimo Toshao, Mr. Delon Williams, said the intervention will certainly ease the water problem faced by the community.
He acknowledged that there had been some improvements, saying, “There are vast changes so far, and there are continuous developments going on, and we look forward to more”.
He said there is a school in the community, and a bus shed and catwalk was built by the Neighborhood Democratic Council.
He noted that a health hut will be welcome for the community, or for regular clinics to be conducted.
Commenting on the LCDS, he said he thinks it will bring  very important development to all of the communities in the sub-region.
“Because we have the forest, and as long as they want us to maintain the forests, I know they will bless us with something, and that will be used towards development of every community like ours,” he said.
Over at the riverain community of Sebai, Toshao Mr. Herbie Campbell said the intervention announced by the Minister will not only benefit the residents, but will supply water to the school and also help in its hot meal programme.
The community which has about 300 persons will benefit shortly from a $7M intervention to ensure adequate supply of water to residents.
A solar pumping system is going to be installed with standpipes directly to the school and health centre, and across the community.
“More so, it will be more healthy potable water than that from the creek,” he underscored, and noted that ponds have dried up and residents are currently using the creeks mainly to get water.
Turning to the LCDS, he said since last year July, they have been attending meetings and conferences at the national level, and were updated by the Cabinet as a whole and President Bharrat Jagdeo, that it would mean an income to the communities.
“…and if we were to opt in, this benefit will come back to the community, and it would uplift the standard of our livelihood,” he stated.
He said this will mean so much to their livelihood, taking them out of the poverty stricken life.
Campbell said there has been development in the community over time with a school and a health centre, concluding, “I see truly things are changing.”
Village Councillor, Mr. Worrel Benjamin, said the community welcomes the intervention by the Government to improve the water supply, and he sees the LCDS as benefitting the Amerindian community and the entire country.
Head Teacher of Sebai Primary School, Mr. Enoch Benjamin, also acknowledgedthat the Government has been doing a whole lot for his community.