FORTY-FOUR more Guyanese, living in Vergenoegen, East Bank Essequibo, have now been equipped to participate in Guyana’s modernisation plan, having received their computers through the One Laptop per Family (OLPF) initiative. The machines, disbursed in the seventh distribution exercise in Region Three (Essequibo Islands/West Demerara) were handed over Thursday to the eager residents, as they gathered at Vergenoegen Secondary School, along with Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Mr. Ganga Persaud; Regional Chairman, Mr. Julius Faerber and officials of the OLPF Secretariat.
In his remarks, the Minister reminded that the scheme was conceptualised by former President Bharrat Jagdeo and was aimed at being a vital part of the Government’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) strategy.
He noted, too, that close to 2,000 laptops have already been distributed across the Region for the benefit of the residents and he assured those that have applied and not yet in receipt, that “it will come”, as the implementation is in phases.
Minister Persaud also called on the beneficiaries to honour their commitments to secure the laptops and, more importantly, ensure that they attend the training sessions and pass on that knowledge to their family members, so that the entire family will be able to benefit from the equipment.
He said: “It is a self-rewarding journey and those who use the computers will be able to access a wide range of information which will make life easier. It can also lead to purposeful parenting.”

Many benefits
The Regional Chairman expressed gratitude that the OLPF disbursement will continue under the new Administration and took the opportunity to also highlight some of the many benefits of the programme, including increased levels of communication and access to information, which, if utilised effectively, could, potentially, become sources of income.
Immediately following the presentation, several of the recipients expressed their gratitude.
One of them, Abdul Azeez, who collected his Thursday, declared how very proud he was to now be in a position to enhance his daughter’s education.
“This will now be done through the achievement of this laptop and by acquiring knowledge bit by bit, me and my family will be able to have experiences we never knew about. I am very thankful for this,” he reiterated.
With six children to care for and educate, Sookhai Sookram, who is physically challenged after losing an arm, said he and his wife, Sumintra are extremely grateful for the opportunity to access the vital piece of equipment which will open new doors for their family.
“It is very helpful since we cannot afford to buy one…we really needed it,” the couple admitted.
A delighted Beresford Winter, another recipient, said: “This means a lot. For instance, I have a grandson who attended classes in Georgetown. This will be good for him and the entire family… I want to thank all those responsible.”
In November, 1,000 Guyanese were in the first batch to receive their netbooks from Mr. Jagdeo.
Within the last couple of weeks, thousands of netbooks were distributed through 67 hubs spread across the country.
The OLPF programme, which was initiated last year January, targets 90,000 families and has the ultimate goal of ensuring that all Guyanese have access to (ICT), thereby transforming Guyana into one of the most computer literate countries.