– compliments of Food For The Poor

EVERYONE strives to have their own home as it provides protection from the elements and helps improve a family’s health, both mentally and physically.

Most invest significantly to improve the quality of their domicile to make it more comfortable while for others, owning their own place is but a pipe dream.

However, for 26 East Berbice, Corentyne families with over 100 members, their dream became a reality when Food For The Poor Guyana Inc. (FFPGI) and the St. Francis Community Developers (SFCD) handed over fully furnished houses to them last week.

The one storey-wooden houses handed over are equipped with solar panels, beds, matrasses, linens, stove and even groceries. The good gesture came at a time when SFCD is celebrating its 32nd anniversary and 27 years of partnership with
FFPGI.

The joy and excitement of the beneficiaries could not be contained.

“Me feel so nice, is a shocking thing for me. Is like meh get a big gift. What me could ah never afford to do because it hard to work and maintain seven children, when I work and come home, I buy some stuff it, done the same day, then we have to think what we going to eat tomorrow, and as so it a go every day. So we could a never afford to get wan place like this. Me nah know how we can ever thank them for this, me so happy me a cry,” Madramootoo said.

Ram, 49, and his wife Jenny Heralall, 39, of H & J Street, Albion, Corentyne and their five of seven children were among the beneficiaries. This seemingly insignificant gesture to many is actually a beacon of hope and promise of a brighter future for this family, who which has faced many hardships in life, including when it rains.

Before the intervention of FFPGI and SFCD, the family of seven shared a small and uncomfortable space. Ram, a fisherman and his family have been living at the location for many years. However, due to four piracy attacks, he no longer felt safe on the high seas and opted to purchase fish wholesale from the boats and re-sell it to maintain his family.

No longer earning as much as he did previously and unable to maintain his home and send five children to school, his third child, Janisa was forced to drop out of high school in Form Two to help her parents in their endeavours and take care of her four younger siblings, ages 13,11,8 and five.

The two older siblings, ages 19 and 24 are married and are living at separate homes.

MUST RECEIVE AN EDUCATION

Janisa Heralall, 15, who looks after her younger siblings, told this publication that she wants all of them to have an education.  She yearns to return to school, but is of the view it would be difficult in the formal school system given her age, but is open to any programme in business management that can help her to achieve her goal of becoming a business woman.

Already with a knack for business, she encouraged her parents to start a small dried-fish business which she manages and desires to own her own business one day.

Ram said because of the new and comfortable environment, he has a renewed desire to work harder to help his family.

“Now me deh more proper, the place clean and is better, more space for the children them face show happiness, me happy, me wife happy, me can now work more hard to get school stuff and help set up the business to grow,” he said.

Their story is one of many of positive changes, thanks to the work of FFPGI and SFCD.

CEO of FFPGI Kent Vincent said the collaboration with SFCD over the past 27 years has been an excellent one and Food For The Poor looks forward to the continued partnership to help those in need.

Together, the two organisations have built shade houses, distributed farming tools, equipment and furniture, host school-feeding programmes, education programmes, medical outreaches and embarked on a housing initiative, among other initiatives in Region Six.

WANT TO DO MORE
“We want to do much more, we started with 10 houses, we moved to 20, currently, we are building 30 houses per month and in the future we want to do 100 houses per month. The need is there, the demand is there; there are people who have very little, who have almost nothing; there are some large families who are in need and we are very happy to bring that assistance to you,” he told the beneficiaries at the handing-over ceremony.

President of SFCD, Alex Foster, expressed profound gratitude to FFPGI for making the project a reality and helping to transform many lives over the years. He pledged to continue to work closely with the FFTGI and all SFCD partners to improve the lives of all.  He also urged the new home owners to take care of their properties and make the most of the opportunity provided.

Foster said from visiting beneficiaries, he has found that the new home owners showed improved health, happiness and overall transformation of their lives, especially the children who are doing better academically.

From October last to present, 78 families in Region Six have benefited from the housing programme. Ten more homes are to be handed over shortly.