YOUTHS from New Amsterdam and other surrounding communities in Berbice will now benefit from a bigger recreational facility as President Donald Ramotar on Sunday commissioned the new Burnham Park pavilion.
The project was completed under the President Youth Award Republic of Guyana Programme (PYARG).The President, in his remarks to the gathering at the commissioning said he was sure the facility will prove useful
“You would have known over the years we have been building and rebuilding infrastructure so necessary and so indispensable for further social and economic development; and while this is important we also see the importance of investing in people.”

The President noted that the administration has recognised the need for investing in human capital as it is an important factor for development.
“We want to enhance the capacity of people, we spoke of lifting the quality of life in society, giving people a higher quality of life, and so too it is true that we have to live by other values and creating other conditions; that is why we have been investing so heavily in the social sector.”
President Ramotar pointed out that more than 30 percent of the country’s National Budget goes to the social sector. The Head of State added that it is for this reason that education continues to receive a large budgetary allocation yearly.
The President added that the administration has also recognised the importance of investing in youths, hence these and other such projects.
“We believe that sports can make a contribution. We have to increase the capacity to fight crime, and we need to have other methods and we believe sports can contribute in this regard. Sport has rules and if you violate them you can be punished; so too, in life, there are laws that we have to live by.”
The President also spoke of the spin- off benefits of having youths involved in sports, which include a healthy lifestyle.
“That is why we are building these facilities and we will continue to try to build these facilities.”
Meanwhile, Presidential Advisor, Odinga Lumumba, in his remarks, noted that this initiative shows that the Administration has every Guyanese at heart, in terms of development. Lumumba stated that the initiative bears testimony to the fact that facilities and developmental projects are not being built only in communities which support the Government.
“We have spent about $1B so far for the past 11 years since the launch of the Youth Choice project, and Berbice has had its fair share.”
He called on the residents to pay keen attention to the maintenance of the facility, as it will serve the entire community, while at the same time it can generate money.
“It can’t be in the hands of one person; it was built for youths and you have to ensure they are protected … we have these facilities throughout the country.”
Meanwhile, Region 6 Chairman, Permaul Armogan, who welcomed the project, noted that it will complement the work of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport and other agencies, as sport plays a great role in any community.
He noted that not only Berbice has benefited from this type of investment, but 30 other communities across Guyana did so.
“In some instances $1M was spent, and in others, more than $1M. These projects are being done because we recognise the importance of taking our youths off the street so that they can make a useful contribution (to society), that is why we are spending all this money in every playground in our country.”
He too called on residents to make full use of the facility, safe-guarding it for generations to come.
The facility is fitted with a concrete pavilion and a sanitary block. Plans are already on stream for lights to be installed to facilitate sporting activities at night.

(GINA)