RESIDENTS of Skull City on the West Bank Demerara were grateful as they collected hampers and heard words of encouragement from members of the Shepherd’s Touch Church of God in Christ, which made a humanitarian visit to the community last Sunday.

Though initially visiting the community to distribute hampers to in-need residents, Pastor of the Church, Jose Francis, said he was touched by the level of need in the community, and the many social ills facing the residents.

“We went in to do the distribution of the hampers, foodstuff, clothing and so on. But there were some issues that needed attention concerning the environment, concerning the young ladies and men in the community,” Francis noted.

“We dealt with one couple that was experiencing infidelity and we counselled them. We had some residents saying that there may be an issue of prostitution. It wasn’t just my church that was there. We had the support of a Superintendent of Police,” he further noted.

Francis noted that given the state of the community, the church plans to return next Sunday to further distribute items and offer support to the community.
One resident, a mother of five, commented that residents of the community felt neglected, as, notwithstanding the depressed state, other organisations had not visited the community during the COVID-19 situation.

Residents say the community was particularly hard hit by the economic constraints that the country has been facing.

Located behind the community of Patentia, Skull City was initially a squatting area, but is currently being regularised, and is among those communities that were hard hit by the closure of the Wales Estate, some years ago.

Teenage pregnancy is said to be an issue gaining prevalence in the community.
Skull City was one of many communities across the country which the church has been doing distribution exercises at over the past few months, and has donated hampers in La Parfaite Harmonie also on the West Bank Demerara, in Sophia and villages in Region One (Barima-Waini).

Since Guyana was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic back in March, measures implemented to curb the spread of the disease have been curtailing economic activities and reducing income for many persons.

The project obtains much of its support from other organisations such as Food for the Poor and Anastacia Stationery, and several private citizens from around the country.