MINISTER of Citizenship, Winston Felix, on Friday visited the community of Samatta Point, East Bank Demerara (EBD) where a cheque totalling $1.5M was handed over for the development of a playfield and recreational centre.

The funds were donated by a private individual and facilitated by the Government of Guyana, the Ministry of the Presidency said in a release. The minister said that this generous donation will initiate action on the plot of vacant land and bring one of the community’s longstanding dreams, closer to reality. “This is a commendable effort by a private donor that will greatly benefit residents of this community as well as the nearby school,” he said.

Dr. Mark Kirton, Special Adviser to the President, said “We recognise as a country that communities need to be more cohesive and one way of doing so is through sports and other recreational activities, so this is a collaboration between the state and a private donor…we are happy to partner with donors to be able to empower communities across Guyana.”

Accepting the cheque on behalf of his community, Mr. Eric Francois recalled that when Minister Felix visited the community in the past, an appeal for financial assistance was made by the residents and he is pleased that such prompt action was taken to source the much-needed funds. Mr. Francois explained that the project, which will be done in three phases, will be executed in a transparent manner and its benefits will redound to the ordinary citizens of the community.