… donates sport gear to communities on the ECD

COMMUNITIES along the East Coast of Demerara will take part in the Republic Unity Cup, where they will battle for trophies and an enhancement project for their community.

The Unity Cup was announced yesterday by Guyana’s President, Dr Irfaan Ali, during his visit to several communities along the East Coast of Demerara.

The event, which is still in its planning stages, will have to get the necessary approval from the COVID-19 Task Force.

The communities which were visited by the President will compete in the initial competition.  These include Lusignan, Buxton, Enterprise and Golden Grove.

The idea behind the Unity Cup is to foster cohesion and create a conducive environment for growth and development.

The President said that sport is a vehicle to achieve this, calling it a unifying medium.

According to information from the Government, the communities will first battle in a cricket competition, before they later compete in football and volleyball.

The President said that the teams will battle for more than trophies and indicated that the winning side will be given the opportunity to benefit from community development projects.

“So you are playing for your community.”

That unification will also be met through a pilot programme referred to as a Corridor of Unity and Oneness.

The President pointed out that the programme will give meaning to the message of oneness and reminded the residents of his address in Parliament on Thursday about his Government’s intention to unify the country.

He noted that the aim is to spread the programme through all parts of Guyana to “build a future that is sustained on unity and respect for all.”

During the visits to the four communities, the President and his team, which included Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr, distributed sporting gear to clubs within the communities.

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall; Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hugh Todd and the Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues, were also a part of the team.