TWENTY families residing in the Indigenous reservation Bethany, Pomeroon-Supenaam Region Two, are now the proud owners of their own homes, Food For Poor Guyana Inc. said in a release.

The first 10 houses were completed during the Christmas holidays under Food For The Poor General Housing programme. The second batch of houses were completed in late February and was made possible by donations received from the St. Theodore Roman Catholic Church of Louisiana USA. The families formally received their homes at a handing over ceremony hosted by Food For The Poor (Guyana) Inc. on February 28, 2019. All of the houses are equipped with washroom facilities, tables, chairs, folding beds, gas stoves and solar panels.

According to the organisation, a small contingent from St. Theodore was present at the ceremony which saw poem recitals, dances and promises by member of the Fundraising Committee of the St. Theodore Roman Catholic Church, Kirk Guillory, to invest more extensively in Bethany. Speaking at the event was Senior Projects Manager, Andrea Benjamin, who called on the families to take care of the homes and maintain the structures.

One of the families who benefitted was young couple, Joseph and Joyann Lorimer, who only recently gave birth. With a new baby, some of the problems affecting their home became more glaring to them. Living previously in a home built from second hand materials, the Lorimers stated that the strong winds and rain often affected the child. They expressed their gratitude to FFTP and said that the gift of a new home would enable them to stay together and build a decent life for themselves.

Stating his words of gratitude to Food For The Poor Guyana and sponsors, Percival John expressed his joy at finally having his own home. Living in Bethany over 30 years and a father of seven children, Percival had been residing with one of his sons until his home was completed. Percival is the main caretaker for one of his sons who is differently abled. His now 22-year-old special needs son has suffered from epilepsy from birth.

His responsibilities, added to the fact that Percival currently suffers from bone cancer in his left hand, has resulted in him being unable to seek employment. Percival has started to mind meat birds in an effort to earn extra money to provide for himself and dependents.

The other families who received homes were, Leland and Evan Couchman, Latoya Martin, Nadirah Johnson, Lynn Edward, Petra Richards, Narifah Marslow, Wendy Vanslytman and Lynn Williams. Food For The Poor (Guyana) Inc. is a Christian charitable organisation whose work is aimed towards helping those who are poor, through the provision of housing, basic food items, medical supplies and equipment, clothing, personal care items, agriculture and other self-sustainable projects.