THROUGH their frequent and continuous acts of giving back to the people of Guyana, President Dr. Irfaan Ali and his government have, unknowingly, inspired many individuals and groups to perform similar tasks in their communities.

During an interview, Mr. Karamchand Jaikaran, the chairman of Block Eight, Phase One Community Policing Group in Mon Repos, expressed his admiration for the President and his ministers’ actions in serving Guyana’s people. He stated that he and the members of the policing group have been inspired by their leadership.

According to Jaikaran, as much as the people are welcoming the government’s initiatives, the Block Eight Policing Group has also recognised that, as a people, they need to play their part as well. As such, the group has decided to contribute to developing and enhancing its community.

The chairman said, “Our community policing group is made up of 33 registered members, of whom 16 are active. We, as a policing group, do not only provide security for the community, but we also try to resolve simple issues that people may encounter in the community. We have also embarked on some projects for the last two to three years that have been benefitting the residents of Block Eight.

So far, he said the group had established the ‘Block Eight welcome sign’ to beautify the area and erected a fenced garden at the community entrance.

“We have also installed and repaired some of the street lights in the area. Even though all of that was done, last December, myself, the members of the policing group, and a few members of the community also pooled our finances and purchased gifts for over 300 children from Block Eight, which were presented to them at the community’s first Christmas tree light-up, which we held for them and their families in the garden,” he reflected.

Apart from what has been done thus far, Jaikaran said that the group plans to fence and ‘resurrect’ the playing field in Block Eight so that the youths and their families can have a safe and secure space for playing sports or any other family or recreational activities.

Jaikaran also stated that he and the members of his group are also planning to name the streets in Block Eight, and they have taken it upon themselves to do some cleanup exercises throughout the area.

“We have been doing our clean-up exercise for about two years now, and our community has transformed a lot, but we can still do better. We have to change our mindset and start doing better with sanitation. I know that we are trying and hoping to change people’s minds and culture about littering. We know that it wouldn’t change overnight, but we aren’t giving up,” Jaikaran said.

The Block Eight, Phase One Community Policing Group also shared that they facilitated the COVID-19 vaccination drive for the first and second-dose vaccines as well as a blood drive. Mr. Jaikaran facilitated both of these events at his residence.

Finally, the chairman took the opportunity and asked the residents of Block Eight, and his fellow countrymen, and especially the young people, to play their part in society.

He says, “I believe that cleanliness is next to godliness, and we need to keep our surroundings clean. We have to start from within our homes, and we have to ensure that we hold people accountable when we see them littering. If we do this, we will have a cleaner community, and this is for all communities and not just Block Eight.”

He continued: “I will also ask that we take a page out of our President’s book and help someone if we can. We can make Guyana a better place if we all play our role in our community.”