PRIME MINISTER, Mark Phillips, and Public Affairs Minister, Kwame McCoy, on Saturday, distributed hampers to over 100 families in the Kingston community, downtown, Georgetown.

The prime minister, who was accompanied by his wife, Mignon Bowen-Phillips, also interacted with residents, and during his interaction he informed them that the government is committed to ensuring every Guyanese enjoy a better quality of life.
The residents told Prime Minister Phillips that they would like to see the government pay more attention to water and housing issues as well as employment.
The prime minister, in response, said the government will become very active in creating jobs as well as putting initiatives in place to cater for better housing and land allocation.
Following his interaction with the residents, Prime Minister Phillips said the good gesture was “just a drop in the bucket” in terms of relief efforts that will be provided by the government.

“This is something that is going to go on for the rest of the year and into next year because, as we prepare the budget, we recognise that we have vulnerable communities in Guyana because of COVID-19 and because of poverty in general, and it is our plan to address not only the vulnerable communities because of COVID-19 but to address poverty on the whole in a comprehensive manner,” the prime minister said.

Government, he said will also re-introduce the One Laptop per Family initiative, which would be very useful in terms of working remotely in light of COVID-19. This aside, efforts were being made to introduce educational programmes on television for students all across Guyana, and a $25,000 cash grant per household will be provided.

Minister McCoy said the government cared about the people and was living up to its promises to provide a better Guyana for all Guyanese. COVID-19, he said, had brought about certain challenges and government has recognised them and was providing as much help as possible.

“Our objective as a government is to make people’s lives much better and to make them more comfortable and to have them own their own home, and such like,” Minister McCoy said.

The residents lauded the initiative and said it was “much needed” as they thanked the government.
Kingston resident, Adveira Brown, 82, was very happy for the kind gesture by the government and was also appreciative of the effort by government to provide a $25,000 cash grant per household.

“I think it’s good because I have rates and taxes to pay and I have light bill to pay, so that would come in to pay that.”
Another resident, Roxanne Gentle, expressed similar sentiments.
Members of the Muslim Youth Organisation (MYO) collaborated with the government to provide the hampers for distribution.