St. Francis Community Developers, FFP in $15M venture
ST. FRANCIS Community Developers (SFCD), a Berbice-based non-governmental organisation which has been in existence for a quarter a century and its national partner, Food for the Poor (FFP), currently celebrating its twentieth anniversary, recently unveiled a $15M venture, aimed at strengthening social services in the ‘Ancient County’. At the official ceremony, in its Port Mourant, Corentyne annex, SFCD President, Mr. Alex Foster who is the regional representative of FFP, said their mandate is to empower the disadvantaged while offering support to social service providers, so as to improve the quality of service and, at the same time, serve a larger target group on a daily basis.
Consequently, tiling was done in eight public facilities, among them the Felix Austin Police Training Centre, which is the largest beneficiary with a benab to be utilised by the Scout Movement, a lunch room, washroom facilities and two classrooms.
The other beneficiaries were the Eversham Community Developers; Turn Your Life Around Group at Kildonan; Mibicuri Commuity Developers in Black Bush Polder; Albion Chapel Developmental Centre at Fyrish; Corentyne Community-Based Rehabilitation Centre at Port Mourant and the St. Francis Community Developers.
Foster reported that FFP (Guyana) provided the United States U.S.) made non-skid floor tiles, while the recipients raised funds to have the tiling done or do it by self-help.
In addition, the upgrading of child friendly spaces, along with writing desks and chairs were given to the previously mentioned beneficiaries as well as Rose Hall Town Police Outpost, Fire Station and Public Library, Child Protection Offices at Whim and New Amsterdam, Shining Star and All Saints Development Centres.
Foster said other projects presently being executed by FFP are the physical upgrading of furnishings at the Corriverton and New Amsterdam Amerindian Students Hostels, with the former receiving 15 new beds with mattresses; the Felix Austin Police Training Centre at Adventure; Good Samaritan Senior Citizens Home at Stanleytown and the Dharma Shala, all of which will each receive television sets, foodstuff, beds, mattresses, dressers, couches, book cases, floor tiles and other articles.
The All Saints Presbyterian Developmental Centres in New Amsterdam received six computers which will be used to teach information and communication technology (ICT) to resident of New Amsterdam and its environs.
As the SFCD continues to celebrate its 25th anniversary, the club has ventured into a new area of tilapia farming, for which multi-million dollars funding has been received from the Australian Government.  That project will be unveiled shortly and other plans include a United Nations Education Fund (UNICEF) initiative designed to eradicate child abuse, targeting school age children in both East and West Berbice and training in a musical marching band.