— hosts one-on-one engagements with Black Bush Polder residents

SCORES of residents of Black Bush Polder, Corentyne, Berbice, Region Six, were afforded the opportunity to have their grievances heard and addressed by First Lady Arya Ali on Monday.

Mrs. Ali led a team of government officials on an outreach to the community, which recently garnered much public attention following a letter published in a local newspaper.

The piece titled, “An open letter to the First Lady” was written by a young woman named Delisha Budhu, who related a series of challenges that seem to hinder the growth of young people in Black Bush Polder.

The letter went viral and Budhu was immediately contacted by government officials who wanted to know how they could help. On Monday, the First Lady took it upon herself to visit the farming community and listen to the plight of the residents first hand.

Following an engagement to promote Government’s 20,000 free online scholarship programme, Mrs. Ali sat with Budhu and had one-on-one engagement with her and every other resident who wanted to speak with her.

A list of the community’s needs was compiled and persons were advised on when and how their matters could be addressed.

Members of the community expressed deep appreciation for the First Lady’s intervention and the humble way in which she listened and engaged each resident.

As it relates to Ms. Budhu, much of the concerns outlined in her letter will be put to rest with the launch of the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL).

In a heartening reflection, Budhu said that she did not expect the letter to have gotten that much traction. Moreover, she did not expect that the First Lady would personally visit her and listen to the problems that plague her community and hinder development.