— Human Services Ministry to expand services in riverain communities; child protection, social service officers for Kwakwani

MORE than $246 million has been invested in the riverain communities of Kimbia and Wiruni since 2020, as the Government continues efforts to expand infrastructure, economic opportunities and access to essential services across the country.
Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr Vindhya Persaud, highlighted the investments during the Government’s recent Cabinet outreach, noting that Kimbia has benefitted from $132.7 million in investments, while $113.5 million has been invested in Wiruni.
The Minister also announced several initiatives aimed at bringing services closer to residents, including garment-construction training in Kimbia and the placement of child protection and other social service officers in Kwakwani.
Speaking to residents of Kimbia, a riverain farming community along the Berbice River in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), Minister Persaud commended the community’s leadership, particularly Toshao Antwan Gordon.
“When you go to every community, you make observations. And I think you must be very proud of our young Toshao. This is what we want to see in Guyana—young people in leadership,” she said.
“They bring a refreshing perspective and they build on what the foundation was that the Toshaos before them left. And they bring a very youthful perspective.”
Minister Persaud also highlighted the impact of the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), which she said was evident in the community’s development.
“I was so excited to see LCDS everywhere. And it speaks to the thoughtful way in which development is happening in Kimbia. It is $132.7 million worth of development,” she said.
Describing the investment and its impact on community development as significant, Persaud highlighted the various Government grants and funding from which Kimbia has benefitted.

“Taking into account the presidential grant, the capital grant, as well as the LCDS investment, you have done well. You have invested well. And you will see the rewards of what you are doing here,” she said.
“This is what we mean by development in action. This is what we mean when we say investment has definitely provided dividends.”
MORE TRAINING
With Kimbia recording progress across several sectors, Minister Persaud said the Human Services Ministry intends to complement those investments by expanding opportunities available to residents.
Among the initiatives planned are garment-construction classes, which will be provided to residents free of cost.
“The Ministry of Human Services would like to complement what has been done by the other ministries. You have agro-processing going to be started here. You have education in motion. You have the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs in motion,” she said.
“We want to offer a number of things. We want to offer youth-friendly classes. We can invest with you in garment construction. We train, at no cost, people in your community to do sewing or garment construction.”
Similar investments were highlighted during the Minister’s visit to Wiruni, an Indigenous community along the Upper Berbice River.
Persaud pointed to infrastructure, including a sewing hub, school kitchen and village kitchen, as evidence of the community’s development.
“As I walked in, I saw the school kitchen. I saw the sewing hub. I see the village kitchen. I see so many things. And it tells me that thought has gone into what you want to see for your community,” she said.
The Minister disclosed that $113.5 million has been invested in Wiruni since 2020.
“I also paid attention to what was the investment to make all of this happen. And when I looked at the numbers, they told a story. $113.5 million would have been invested in Wiruni from 2020 to now,” she said.
Persaud added that the community has also benefitted from presidential grants, including a $9.5 million investment.
SERVICES FOR KWAKWANI
While Government funding and grants continue to support development in the communities, Persaud said efforts are also being made to expand access to critical social services.
During a stop in Kwakwani, she announced that the Ministry will move to place a child protection officer and other personnel in the community to address pension, probation and other social service matters.
According to Persaud, the officers are expected to be in place within one to two weeks.
“You will be happy to know that the ministry will have its own child protection officer and its own person from our ministry, and officers who will be dealing with pension, probation and all the social service issues of the ministry,” she said.
“We are making sure that that happens almost immediately, within a week to two here in Kwakwani. It is big progress.”
The interventions form part of the Government’s wider effort to pair infrastructure and community investments with expanded access to services and economic opportunities, particularly in riverain and hinterland communities.
The most recent outreach highlights the government’s proactive and strategic approach to community development, with investment being paired with services that improve infrastructure and the quality of life for Guyanese.