IT is heartening to see that the private sector is finding ways to assist the people of Lethem during this difficult time. I read that the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company has reduced its rates to one dollar per minute as its initial contribution to relief efforts. This is a commendable effort and I think that more prominent and even small-scale businesses can find ways of helping.
Government’s mobilisation of relief items and assistance is commendable and I have seen a lot of the coverage relating to the flooding situation which has shown the extent to which government agencies and ministries are assisting.
I have read about the efforts of the Ministry of Health to provide treatment and help to minimise the instances of water-borne diseases which are usually prevalent in such situations. I was happy to read that there have been no cases reported as yet and that the ministry has been educating  residents on the use of bleach to purify their water.
I think that the efforts and collaboration to provide help to the Rupununi residents are commendable and maybe the non-governmental organisations can offer their help as well because from what I have seen, government is leading the relief effort and many of the agencies involved are governmental.
This is a time when the Rupununi residents need a lot of assistance as their villages are flooded and whatever food stuff would have been in the shops would have already been used up. More help will be needed after the flooding to help to get their lives back to some level of normalcy. This I am happy to see, has already been a topic for government as President Jagdeo had already advised the Agriculture Minister to look at long-term assistance  of up  to six months to help the farmers and residents with food and planting materials so that they can start up their farming again.
I think that government and all agencies involved, governmental and non-governmental, must be commended and encouraged to continue  providing assistance to our Amerindian brothers and sisters in the Rupununi.