YOUTHS living within proximity of Dartmouth and Suddie, Essequibo Coast, Region Two, will benefit from vital training programmes in the near future as two state-of-the-art, early childhood development centres were commissioned on Saturday.

The centres, located at Suddie and Darthmouth, were commissioned by Finance Minister Winston Jordan. At Dartmouth, scores of persons gathered at the commissioning ceremony to welcome the minister and his team.

During the minister’s address, he urged residents to make full use of the centres, pointing out that the facilities will provide young people with marketable skills.
Regional Executive Officer Rupert Hopkinson said the centres are “a wonderful initiative that will not only help with the development of the children as they aim to meet their full potential, but the development of the country.”
The centres, which will provide training for unemployed and underemployed youths in the region, were made possible through a collaborative effort between the Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF) and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Youth Empowerment Unit (PAYEU).
The contract to build the centres was awarded to Essequibian firm Builder’s Hardware and General Supplies and was executed to the tune of $32,655,130.
Minister Jordan was accompanied by junior Finance Minister Jaipaul Sharma; Presidential Adviser on Youth Empowerment Aubrey Norton; and BNTF representative Bernard Lord, among other government officials.
The minister also used the opportunity to visit the Suddie Public Hospital and the Rooster’s Coconut Processing Plant at Land of Plenty.