By Vanessa Braithwaite

FOLLOWING the provision of electricity to their community last March, the residents of Andyville, a small community located in Wismar, Linden, are now saving hundreds of thousands of dollars which formerly was expended on gasoline for generators and kerosene for lamps, as well as on candles. This money is now being used to transform their community and to improve their standard of living.

After fighting for the electrification of their community for over three years, this was finally made a reality on March 9 and at the commissioning ceremony. The residents were reminded by Minister of Public Infrastructure ( MoPI) David Patterson, that the David Granger-led administration is not interested in giving ‘handouts’, but instead is concerned with the development of its citizens and therefore will go into every nook and cranny to empower residents.

Chairman of Anydyville Community Development Council (CDC), Michael Greene, told this publication on Wednesday that testimonies from residents all proclaim that within the last four months, their lives have been improved, since more money is coming into the home to prepare more nutritious meals; to provide a better education for children; to purchase clothing and other necessities; and to enjoy a social life. This he described as bringing the good life promised by the coalition government, to residents of Andyville. “The residents are benefitting a great lot, the money can now be used to send the children to school, to put in the home, to buy stuff that was needed,” he said, and for that the community is thankful to the government for bringing an end to a plight they had suffered for over two decades.

Doing the calculations, Greene said that a household can now save up to $2000 per day and for those who operated small shops, they can save up to $5, 000. One shop owner, he said, spent $5, 000 a day on gasoline to power the shop and home generator and that amount was not even enough for 24 hours. “She told me most days is $5, 000 a day she used to spend on gasoline and most nights she still had to sleep in the dark, because it never use to take her into the night,” he related.

In addition to individual and household benefits, Greene said that communally, Andyville is also benefitting from the development, as the residents are now in a better position to contribute to community projects, as the aim is to transform the community into a model community in Linden. Several community projects have already started and now are reaching fruition, with the boost in contributions from residents. Presently, the community is constructing another signboard and beautifying the community’s entrance, all in an effort to improve its aesthetics. The CDC is also transforming the community’s creek (One Koker), into a tourism destination on the Wismar shore, which will also be a means of generating funds. “We already start building a benab around the creek, plus we have other attractions there because we want to make it a place where persons can come and relax and have fun,” one resident said. Next month, a grand fundraising activity is slated for the 13th and 14th of July, which includes a fair, a day of sports and other activities. Proceeds from those events will be used to commence the construction of an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) hub and a play centre for children, amongst other things. The fair will also be used to showcase community projects such as art and craft, etc.

Andyville’s electricity project was funded by the MoPI to the tune of $14 million. It was completed by the Linden Electricity Incorporated (LEI), but was handed over to the Linden Utility Services Co-op Society Limited (LUSCSL), which now manages the community’s affairs in this regard. Andyville has over 300 households. The community is over 23 years old.

Now that the community has received electricity, the residents are now hoping for water to run directly into their homes — since the community has only three standpipes available — as well as for the community to be regularised. In 2017, the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) installed the three standpipes to ease the residents’ burden of purchasing and fetching water from a creek. The CDC continues to engage all parties involved, including the Guyana Lands and Survey Commission and the GWI in this regard.