A TUSCHEN family on Friday received the keys to a brand-new one-storey concrete house, six weeks after First Lady Arya Ali visited and saw first-hand the deplorable conditions they were living in.

Mrs. Ali, who was accompanied by First Son Zayd Ali, returned to the area to deliver on the promise she had made to Dolly Ward, who was living in a dilapidated wooden structure with her two daughters and sick husband for some time.

During the simple and emotional ribbon cutting ceremony, the First Lady said to Mrs. Ward and her daughters that she was happy that she could have delivered on her promise in such a short space of time.

“To Dolly and her family, today we are very happy to hand over the keys to this beautiful home for you and your family. It’s just been six weeks, and we are very happy that we were able to deliver on our promise. We hope that this will help you and your family tremendously,” she said in her brief remarks.

Recognising that Mrs. Ward was the family’s sole income provider, the First Lady also ensured that the yard was outfitted with a chicken coop that could house 100 birds at once.

She emphasised that the family will have chickens for their own consumption, and can sell some to generate an income.

“I hope that by our providing you with a chicken coop with 100 chickens, it will be of great help to you and the family as well,” the First Lady said to Mrs. Ward.

Additionally, the First Lady reminded Mrs. Ward that she had promised that she would give her daughters scholarships after they were finished with their Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) examinations, and according to her, she and the Government of Guyana will deliver on that promise as well.

‘OVERJOYED AND EXCITED’
Speaking exclusively with the Guyana Chronicle, Mrs. Ward said: “I am overjoyed, and my girls and husband are too. We are happy and excited. I prayed every day for a good home; one that we wouldn’t get wet in when the rain falls, and God answered my prayers. He sent the First Lady and her husband to help us. Even though our First Lady is pregnant, she still came all this way to make sure that she handed over the keys to me. That shows what type of people they are, and I cannot say how thankful I am our First Lady took the time to come back. She promised that she would build a house for me and my family, and she did; she fulfilled her promise, and she brought her son, too. I would like to say thanks to our President, as well as to all who helped. We were struggling for a long time, but because of our First Lady and President Ali, we can now say that we are better than we were before. I want to tell them we will care this home, and we will never forget their kindness to us. The First Lady gave us a home; she promised my daughters scholarships after they were finished with school, and she also gave us 100 chickens to start off with. What more can I ask for? God bless them.”

The house has two bedrooms and a washroom (with accommodations for her ailing husband). Also included was a sofa set, beds, a fridge, a television, and a stove.

Last year, while the Phase 1 West Group of the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) was having a walkabout in Tuschen, they discovered that the family of four was in urgent need of assistance.

Due to prostate cancer, 75-year-old Vibert Ward has spent the last three years confined to a bed. The group also found out that Vibert, his wife, Dolly, and their two daughters, aged 15 and 16, were solely dependent on his pension to survive.

Dolly had told this publication that she would get domestic work “now and again” from people in the community, but it was challenging for her, since she had to take care of her husband and her two children. Upon hearing of the family’s plight, the First Lady visited the family and promised to rebuild their home.