…close to 200 children receive toys

THE faces of close to 200 children lit up with excitement on the Island of Leguan, when they were presented with toys by Minister of State Joseph Harmon and the Social Protection Minister Amna Ally on Friday.

The State Minister and Minister Ally had journeyed to Leguan, a small island situated in the

delta of the Essequibo River, Region Three, to launch the Social Protection Ministry’s Christmas programme. The event coincided with the celebration of Youman Nabi – a day set aside to honour the birth of Muhammad, the founding prophet of Islam. At the Maryville Primary School, the children, bubbling with excited anxiously awaited their gifts.

In delivering brief remarks during a simple ceremony in the school’s auditorium, Minister Harmon, who was visiting the island for the first time as a Minister of Government, said he was honoured to be invited by Minister Ally to participate in the launching.

“As you know, Christmas we celebrate the birth of Christ and today Youman Nabi we celebrate the birth of the Prophet Muhammad, and so in this period of celebration I want to say to you that your government has seen it important enough to ensure that we share that Christmas spirit or that Christmas joy with you,” Minister Harmon told the children, parents and teachers present.

He said the gifts received are from a “caring and loving” government.
Social Protection Minister Amna Ally who spearheaded the initiative, said the distribution of

gifts to the children of Leguan marks the launch of her ministry’s Christmas programme.
“We consider you, Leguan, to be very important,” Minister Ally told those present. She said while President David Granger could not have attended the celebration, he sent his greetings.

The Social Protection Minister, in noting that the officials have been frequenting the island, said Leguan is high on the government’s agenda.
“Leguan is high on our agenda for development and that is why since we came into government we have been able to do your roads,” she pointed out while assuring residents of the “Good Life.”

Head Teacher of the Maryville Primary School, Juliet Augustus, praised the government for launching the Christmas programme in Leguan. “I am very happy that they have brought this venture to Leguan. The children are very excited, they are happy that they [have] gotten gifts even before they had the opportunity for Christmas. It’s a good thing because it is a time of sharing and of giving,” she told the Guyana Chronicle.

She told this newspaper, that Maryville Primary School, with a student population of 85 children, is among four primary schools on the island. There is only one secondary school on the island, the Leguan Secondary School. It is estimated that Leguan has a population that is less than 3000 people. “The population is dwindling, persons are migrating for better job opportunities,” Miss Augustus said. She has been a teacher at the school for the past 27 years.