THE United States Embassy here through its Humanitarian Assistance Programme (HAP), and the Linden Mayor and Town Council hosted a back-to-school drive in Linden on Friday, providing school bags and shoes to those in need.

One hundred children from across Linden, Region 10, benefited from the initiative which was held at the Egbert Benjamin Hall. The event targeted schoolchildren who were in need. The recipients were given school bags which were donated by the U.S. Embassy and school shoes donated by Guyana Medical Relief.

According to Linden’s Deputy Mayor, Waneka Arrindell, 100 children were chosen across Linden through the process of each constituency representative from the council, who identified 12 children that are in need from within their community. “This is my first interaction with the project and it’s wonderful, the shoes and the bags are of quality that the children will be able to use and will not be destroyed early,” stated Arrindell.
Thomas Boykin, The Humanitarian Assistance Programme Coordinator from the U.S. Embassy stated that he is thankful for having a good working relationship with the mayor’s office. Boykin also elaborated on how important education is, stating, “Education is really important to you, it’s a start to your future and becoming a successful adult.”
The guardians of the children who benefited from Friday’s event expressed sincere gratitude to the Linden Mayor and Town Council and the U.S. Embassy for what they have done. “I am grateful for the gesture that the American Embassy has shown towards the people in Linden, because of economic strain. I am from the Old England area and we are very grateful for this, because it has been beneficial to the children,” remarked Ruby Bacca, a guardian of three children who benefited from the event. According to Boykin, the event was the first for this academic year, however, they are attempting to support as many back-to- school initiatives as they can throughout Guyana.