THE Buxton community is gradually reintegrating its efforts with those of the government to enhance the lives and livelihoods of villagers. Key figures in the process are Mboya Wood, Odinga Lumumba and some other Buxtonians who have recognised that confrontations achieve nothing, while cooperative efforts can stimulate growth at every level – not least personal growth.
Among the several initiatives under way in the community, which is making unrelenting efforts to make up for lost time in its reconstruction and growth, is the training at the Buxton/Friendship Practical Instruction Centre (PIC) in the village.
Construction of this facility, which cost $39,976,100, began in 2002/3 but was shelved because of the unrest in the village after it was taken over by criminal gangs.
With the gradual return to normalcy, some villagers approached President Bharrat Jagdeo to discuss developmental initiatives for that community.
The President subsequently visited the village to thunderous ovation and informed the residents that they have equal rights as any other citizen of the land to all the opportunities being provided by the government for their personal and community development.
From that time onward the engagements have intensified, with many programmes evolving to enhance the lives and lifestyles of villagers.
More than 300 young people are being trained at the Buxton/Friendship PIC in various disciplines, such as joinery, catering, dressmaking and agriculture. Computer technology is to be introduced shortly to the programme.
Many of the young people are school dropouts who would have most likely lived aimlessly on the fringes of society, earning pittances, or probably engaged in nefarious activities to generate incomes for their needs.
Today, thanks to the farsightedness of some enlightened leaders, this landscape of hopelessness has dissipated in a wave of productive pursuits. Many of these young persons would graduate as professionals with skills that could provide them with a future bright with promise of a better way of life through honest and committed endeavour.
In every community, in some way or another, the crying needs of Guyanese are being addressed, except for professional complainers who always see a cup half empty instead of half full.
In 2004, the European Union and the Guyana Government launched the Low Income Housing Programme to support the Low Income Housing Sector aimed to improve access to affordable housing for low income groups in Guyana through construction and upgrading of new and existing infrastructure, encouraging community participation in project implementation and supporting community initiatives.
The programme was implemented in seven housing areas, with infrastructure provided to 4,228 lots, and capacity-building, social issues and skills training were provided to 250 persons in the respective communities.
Additionally, multipurpose buildings were constructed in four communities for community activities.
The foregoing initiatives are a minute part of the government’s social enhancement programmes that are targeting the transformation of persons of all ages, from all communities, across every divide throughout Guyana.
EU Ambassador to Guyana, Mr. Geert Heikens, has lauded Guyana’s progress in achieving the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.
Now that Guyanese are generally no longer tying their development to their politics, the potential for the transformation of the developmental dynamics in the nation is limitless and immeasureable.