– re-migrants call for low-income housing projects

PRESIDENT Irfaan Ali has assured Venezuelan migrants that their welfare will be looked into when he establishes a special committee.
The President gave this assurance on Sunday as he responded to a request by a Venezuelan re-migrant, Susan, [only name given] during an outreach held in the Pomeroon-Supenaam Region.

The President informed that the committee will include the Minister of Housing, as well as representatives from the Ministry of Local Government. These ministries will work along with other officers and stakeholders in drafting comprehensive strategies to assist Guyanese who returned from neighbouring Venezuela. The committee will provide documentation and translation services while the Housing Ministry will also examine housing projects for the re-migrants.

President Ali said that special programmes will be set up to handle the education aspect so that re-migrant children can integrate into Guyana’s school system.
During the meeting, a Venezuelan re-migrant related that her entire family was forced to migrate to Guyana due to the harsh economic crisis there. She said there are many other Venezuelans who are in the country seeking jobs and housing.

“We have qualifications but no one wants to hire us; we have to pay high fees to get our documents translated. We need representation and we need to re-integrate in the Guyana population; we are begging the Government to assist us,” El Gordo related.

Another re-migrant, Sharon Kowlesser, is also advocating for low-income housing projects for persons who returned; this will allow then to apply for loans through the banking system. Kowlesser said that the Housing Ministry has been helpful and persons were advised, in the past, to apply for house lots and put on the form that they were re-migrants.
Many Venezuelans are currently in various communities within the Pomeroon-Supenaam region living with relatives.