-under CAC programme
RESIDENTS of the Agricola/Mc Doom community on Saturday welcomed their first ever basketball court, complete with a pavilion, compliments of the Rapid Impact Project (RIP), which is an aspect of the Community Action Component (CAC) of the Government of Guyana and Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Citizens’ Security Programme  (CSP). Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee in his remarks at the commissioning ceremony said that notwithstanding the limited funds, the programme has been successful in touching the lives of countless youths from the 10 selected communities in Regions 4(Demerara/Mahaica) and 6 (East Berbice/Corentyne).
He said that the ideal situation would have seen the programme extended to all 10 administrative regions; but explained that this is not the only initiative of the government that is designed to enhance the lives of youths, particularly those from vulnerable communities.
To this end, the Ministries of Education, Labour and Culture, Youth and Sport and the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Defence Force also conduct similar programmes from the budgetary allocations.
Over 120 youths from the Agricola/Mc Doom area have already benefited from skills and vocational training and personal development including conflict resolution and violence prevention, all of which were offered through the CAC.
Unlike the skills training programme, which is specifically tailored to suit the needs of a specific group of young people, the violence prevention programme is much more broad-based as it includes the entire neighbourhood not just youths.
Youths who have already graduated from the skills training programme are also a part of this violence prevention initiative.
“This is another contribution, modest as it is, to making Agricola a safe neighbourhood. Much more has to be done, a task that this government is committed to, but we need the involvement of more stakeholders,” he said.
Meanwhile, residents expressed their gratitude for the facility, which they said would go a long way in fostering positive development in their community.
The land, on which the facility now stands, was acquired with support from the Mayor and City Council and Mayor Hamilton Green, who was present at the commissioning, called on the community to use the facility not only for sports, but also for other activities that will enhance the moral fiber of the society as a whole.
The community has already been actively engaging the business community and other public-spirited citizens to garner the necessary support to install additional amenities at the facility.
Apart from the commissioning of the basketball court, the minister also handed over a quantity of sports items to various sports clubs in Agricola and surrounding communities.
The over-arching goal of the CAC is to assist communities to become sustainable in their function as a neighbourhood in which all persons are included in the creation of a safe environment and young people are provided with opportunities that will prevent them from participating in criminal and violent activities.