A clean-up campaign in Anna Regina aims to preserve the pristine beauty of the town.

MORE than two years ago, the government implemented the Country Implementation Plan (CIP))to provide people with jobs for about ten days a month. The work done is predominantly that of clean-up campaigns and environmental work. And of the people employed, the majority are older persons. Head of the CIP workers at Anna Regina says that the work done by the CIP workers is of great importance to the community and to the workers themselves. Being seen as a new initiative, the programme may be the first step in a number of other developments.

Latchman Mattai is the Head of CIP workers in Anna Regina. Latchman is a Guyanese national but has retained a strong Trinidadian accent from his time in the country. Hailing from Lima Sands, within Anna Regina, Latchman has dedicated much of his life to the service of other people.

The 37-year-old still calls the village of Limasands home. “I grew up with my parents at 53 Lima Sands. Lima Sands is the path to go into lake mainstay,” Latchman stated. He describes his home as beautiful and captivating, living a stone’s throw away from a place people come to visit.

Latchman has spent his life working in either the armed forces or with the various ministries of Guyana. Having been a police officer for more than thirteen years and working with the government of Guyana for more than 20 years. Latchman has always had the heart to serve others. “I was a police officer for more than 13 years. And after that I went over to Trinidad two times. And I came back to Guyana and worked with the ministry,” he said.

Although having spent time overseas, Latchman deeply appreciates and admires this country. He loves Anna Regina for its multicultural make-up and finds its diversity to be a unique quality of the town. “Our village is a mix of cultures. We have Amerindians and a lot of mix people living here in Anna Regina.” Latchman stated.

In the years he has lived in and out of Guyana, he says that he has seen Anna Regina and the surrounding areas develop. His home for instance, was just a community with trails for roads and no electricity when he was growing up. He stated that, “When we first moved to Lima Sands, we did not have any roads. It was a trail. And presently we have new roads. We have twenty-four-hour water. The area was a new scheme, and it is now developing.”

Latchman works for the local government ministry, which works in cooperation with the town council. Latchman is responsible for a team of 56 CIP labourers and two supervisors. The labour was employed by the ministry within the township. As Latchman shares, “My responsibilities are basically preparing the time and pay sheets. “

Among his other responsibilities, and perhaps the most significant, is ensuring the town of Anna Regina is kept spotless. Anna Regina and the Essequibo Coast are among the cleanest and most picturesque places in Guyana. “I visit the supervisors and ensure the work is done. I also have to ensure the workers are performing their duties of garage and drain cleaning,” Latchman shares.

The programme has been met with stellar receptionists for the public. The community has been very receptive to the workers and their role. They help maintain the pristine environment of the town and the rest of the coast. The programme, Latchman says, has also grown since it was launched. “Everything is good with the programme so far. The programme started off with just 33 workers and has grown from 2021.”

The workers are a task force for environmental health. They try their best to reach all corners of the town. “We assist in every department. Whether it is health, or schools. We assist the residents. We make an impact by cleaning up the areas and the drains. We make sure that the people have clean drains and any complaints of garbage we get we deal with it as urgent as possible.” Latchman shared.

Latchman does believe that there will be an increase in more people joining the programme. As more community members begin to see the programme as more of a cause, the better the environment will be maintained. “If we get more people on the job, the environment will be cleaner. We will have the human resources to get to the areas,” Latchman stated.

Interestingly, the most prominent demographic among the CIP team is older than one may assume. “The majority of the workers are middle-aged people and older people,” Latchman stated. Currently, Latchman and his team are working on the full enhancement of the environment of Anna Regina for the Christmas season. He firmly believes that moving forward, more initiatives like this one will be put in place, and he is urging Guyanese to care for the surroundings, to preserve the beauty of Guyana in any way possible because small jobs can cause significant change.