SEVERAL Region 1 villages have signed the agreement to begin receiving funding for their Community Development Plans (CDPs) under the Amerindian Development Fund (ADF) of the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS).

Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Pauline Sukhai, on May 10 and 11 signed the agreement with the respective Toshaos of Kamwatta, Manawarin, Waikerabi, Barabina, Three Brothers, Baramita and Four Mile, during a visit to the region.
On signing the agreements, the Toshaos shared their feelings about being part of an historical moment, years in the making.
“I am very much happy and proud that one of the communities in the village of Santa Rosa has been given priority to be an example to the rest of the 180 plus communities that will benefit in the near future,” Richard Cornelius, Toshao of the Santa Rosa Village council, said.
“We, who are beneficiaries must strive to work very hard to make these first projects a success so that others to follow benefit and the ADF programme will be willing and eager to help the Amerindian people,” he continued.
Cornelius said, “We are a people who economically do not equal with the rest of Guyanese, especially those who live on the coast…however, we have dreams just like them, we have dreams that later in the future, our children will not live more of a primitive life that we are trying to come out of, but with the help of the Government and the diligent work of the people…what we are going to receive here must not only be seen as a blessing, but an opportunity to work towards reaching a certain goal. We are happy to note that we have been taken into consideration.”
For the Toshao of Kamwatta, Ronald Benjamin, it was a dream come true. Benjamin said, “A few years ago when we submitted our proposal we were not quite sure we were going to have what was our dream, and over time you would have villagers asking what happened to the CDP, what happened to the project proposal, and really, time and time again we heard that it would come some day, and it has indeed come today…today has been a very remarkable day for us, being identified among the first to benefit from the ADF…I firmly believe through our dedication to get our project completed was the reason we were able to fall among those 27 communities.”
The Toshao of Manawarin Alvin George was thankful to all those who had facilitated the historical day. “As I stand here, I would like to express on behalf of my village, thanks to Minister (Sukhai) for her brave and beneficial representation in order to let our CDPs become a reality, thanks also to the UNDP representatives and coordinators for overseeing the need and inputs for the development of Amerindian communities in Guyana. We are thankful for everyone’s input into this project,” he said.
“We wish to flourish the cassava market in Region 1, especially for our true Amerindian brothers and sisters,” George said. Manawarin’s CDP will be intercropping cassava and bora.
“I am truly delighted to be here and to be a part of this historic moment that has actually come to reality today. I am glad that Waikerabi has been selected to be among the first communities whose CDPs will be implemented.  I do not know for what reason, probably we were chosen by God for that to happen, and I am very grateful,” said Waikerabi, Toshao Michael Williams.
Waikerabi will look at expanding its lumber enterprise. “Most of these years we have been dependent on other persons to come in with machinery to extract our woods;when those persons are not reliable enough our lumbering effort is halted. This happens most times, so I am thinking, getting through will lead to us being a little more independent and less dependent on outside help,” he said.
CDC Chairman of Barabina, Roy Bennett, sought more to rally his village’s support in implementing the project. “We must try our best to see how we could implement it to benefit all the members of the village…try to work together, cooperate and be in harmony on this goal of developing and sustaining a project that will benefit us and the community now and throughout the years,” he urged.
Three Brothers is two of the Region 1 communities that will be looking at rearing hassar, the other being Kamwatta;and Toshao of Three Brothers Michael Henry was very anxious to explain the village project. “In 1997 we had a forest fire in Waini, thousands of acres were burnt, made useless, and we decided to use back some of this land and all we can do is rear hassar on the land.The hassar are in the burnt bush (the swamp).”
According to Henry, from the early stage, persons would be employed to clear the land and dig the pond. He said that the intention is, when the project is completed, to sell the hassar to the village.  The initial plan starts with one acre of cultivation and in five to six years, five acres, and as the project expands more persons will be employed.
These seven Region 1 communities are among 27 chosen to be the pilots for the ADF project. This initial pilot batch will be given a nine-month implementation deadline, and following an assessment, the second stage of the project will be implemented and the funds will be disbursed to the remaining Amerindian communities.