By Bebi Shafeah Oosman

THIRTEEN families across Region Six are now enjoying greater security, comfort and dignity after receiving newly constructed or rehabilitated houses through interventions spearheaded by President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali’s Men on a Mission (MOM) Initiative and delivered on Friday by Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha.

The beneficiaries were drawn from communities across East Bank Berbice, West Canje, Port Mourant, Whim, Letterkenny, Rose Hall, Chesney, Hampshire, Belvedere and Guava Bush, Corentyne.

While their circumstances differ, the families share stories of hardship and perseverance. Among them are elderly residents; persons living with health and mobility challenges; single mothers; families caring for children; young families building their lives and residents who were left with nothing after fires had destroyed their homes.

For each family, Friday’s handing over represented far more than receiving the keys to a house. It meant having a safe place to sleep; improved living conditions for their children; greater comfort for elderly and vulnerable relatives and relief from one of the greatest uncertainties any family can face, not having adequate shelter.

Minister Mustapha, who travelled throughout the region to hand over the houses, said the initiative reflects the president’s commitment to ensuring that vulnerable citizens are not left behind as Guyana develops.

“This here is a commitment from President Ali; this is another part of the PPP/C’s programme started by President Ali, Men on a Mission to give homes to vulnerable people and these homes have been built, furnished and given at no cost,” Mustapha said.

According to the minister, the initiative was developed to provide direct assistance to families who would otherwise face significant challenges in constructing or rehabilitating their own houses.

“So I want to extend on behalf of these people who would have received these homes [sic] and many others who would have received homes [sic] like this, a thank you to President Ali, this is visionary leadership,” Mustapha said.

Among Friday’s beneficiaries were 63-year-old Devika Ramoutar and her 67-year-old husband, Mahadeo Saran, of Ankerville, Port Mourant. Saran is bedridden, making adequate living conditions particularly important for the couple.

Their newly constructed home, handed over by Minister Mustapha and Member of Parliament Zamal Hussain, will provide a safer and more comfortable environment for Saran, while giving the couple greater security in their daily lives.

At Letterkenny North, 53-year-old Dankumarie Balkarran, who is a stroke patient, also received a home. For Balkarran, the intervention provides much-needed stability and a living environment better suited to the challenges associated with her health and mobility.

Similar relief came for 61-year-old Ruckmanie Chetty, also a stroke patient, whose new home will provide greater comfort and security.

Meanwhile, 64-year-old Shivbachan Harrikishun of Letterkenny, Corentyne, received a home that will benefit not only him and his wife, but also the two grandchildren in their care following the passing of the children’s mother.

For 59-year-old Totaram Narine of Chesney, Corentyne, the intervention also represents an important, new chapter. Narine lives with and cares for his mother, and the home provides greater stability for their household.

The programme also reached younger families, and 24-year-old Trisia Persaud, her husband and their three children received a home at Belvedere, Corentyne.

For the young couple, home ownership provides a stronger foundation upon which they can continue building their family while giving their three children a safe and comfortable environment in which to grow.

At Guava Bush, Corentyne, Anishwar Sewdat, 35, and Ivanna Narine, 32, along with their five children, benefitted from extensive rehabilitation works to their family home.

The repairs have transformed the family’s living conditions, giving the parents and their five children a safer and more comfortable space to call home.

Another family receiving assistance was that of Nanda Munisar, a single mother of four from Hampshire, Corentyne. For Munisar, having a secure home removes a significant burden as she continues to provide for and raise her four children. It also means her children now have the security of knowing they have a stable place to call their own.

Minister Mustapha also handed over a fully rehabilitated home to Doodmattie Ross, a single mother of four from Vryheid, West Canje, Berbice. The rehabilitation has significantly improved the family’s living conditions, providing Ross with a safer environment in which to raise her children.

However, some of Friday’s most significant interventions involved families who had experienced the devastation of losing their houses to fire.

For 68-year-old Jerry Alexander and his 76-year-old wife, Rosaline Alexander of Rose Hall Town, the assistance has given the elderly couple an opportunity to rebuild their lives after their home was destroyed.

After experiencing the trauma and uncertainty that follow the loss of a home, the couple once again have a place of their own and the security that comes with it.

At Sister’s Village, East Bank Berbice, Friday was also an emotional turning point for two households whose homes were completely destroyed by fire. The blaze had left 39-year-old single mother Sharmilla Seetaram and 53-year-old Nazim Gani without homes, forcing them to seek temporary accommodation with relatives.

Before the fire, Seetaram lived in a two-storey, two-bedroom house with her baby, niece and cousin, while Gani occupied a neighbouring three-bedroom house. Within a short period, both households lost the security they had spent years building.

After the fire, Minister Mustapha visited and responded to the families’ plight, making a commitment on behalf of President Ali that the government would assist them.

FULFILLING A COMMITMENT

On Friday, that commitment was fulfilled when Mustapha returned to hand over homes to the affected residents, allowing them to move beyond temporary arrangements and begin rebuilding their lives.

The response, according to the minister, is representative of the government’s approach to assisting citizens during moments of personal crisis rather than leaving vulnerable families to recover on their own.

Since its establishment, Men on Mission has become an avenue through which resources, skills and manpower are mobilised to assist communities and vulnerable citizens.

Housing interventions have been among its most visible forms of assistance, particularly for families who lack the financial means to construct adequate homes independently.

The programme supplements the government’s housing and social-development agenda, with President Ali placing emphasis on improving living standards through housing, employment, education, healthcare, infrastructure, agriculture and targetted interventions for vulnerable citizens and friday’s programme demonstrated that approach at the household level.

Rather than a single type of intervention, assistance was provided based on the circumstances of individual families, from constructing homes for those without adequate shelter to rehabilitating deteriorated houses and rebuilding for residents devastated by fire.

Minister Mustapha also highlighted the importance of government officials remaining engaged with communities and following through on commitments made during outreaches.

The Agriculture Minister has maintained a presence in communities throughout Berbice, where engagements with residents often extend beyond agricultural matters to wider social and infrastructural concerns.

For the 13 families who benefitted from the housing interventions, however, the impact is immediate and deeply personal; a rehabilitated house means children can grow up in safer surroundings.

A new house means an elderly couple can live with greater comfort. For a person battling mobility challenges, it means a more secure environment; and for families who watched everything they owned disappear in a fire, it means an opportunity to begin again.

Through the interventions, the families are not simply receiving houses; they are being given greater stability and the foundation from which to move forward with renewed confidence and dignity.