President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali and First Lady, Mrs. Arya Ali on Sunday partnered with civil society groups and the business community to donate more than 150 relief hampers to residents of Tiger Bay in Central Georgetown.
The hampers contained essential household items, which were donated by the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana (CIOG), the Muslim Youth Organisation (MYO), Mohamed’s Enterprise and People’s Beauty Products, among other businesses.
During the outreach, President Ali noted that the Government of Guyana has a responsibility to ensure that it offers support to the most vulnerable segments of society.
He explained that those who contributed to this initiative did so to send a strong signal of their love for community and for the Guyanese people.
“This is the kind of love we want for our community. We need to be our brothers and sisters keeper,” President Ali said, adding that all Guyanese are united under a common purpose for a better Guyana.
Noting that the government has a responsibility to reach out to every single community in Guyana, the President revealed that today’s donation was the first of a series of outreaches which will be done across the country.
He explained that the role of the government extends beyond policy work, and so citizens must be able to see and associate with government officials.
“When you see and interact with people, it gives you a more sincere understanding. We don’t want a gap between the people and the government,” the President said to the residents who welcomed this initiative.
Tiger Bay is considered as one of the most vulnerable communities in Georgetown, and its social and economic problems have been made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cognizant of this, President Ali announced that his government will aggressively explore and pursue opportunities which seek to elevate the standard of living of residents in that and other vulnerable community across Guyana.
He disclosed that the housing needs of these residents will be made a priority, alongside the creation of employment opportunities. The President also announced the intended establishment of a Youth Advisory Council which will work with at-risk youths to be an instrument of change.
“We want to give every young person the best opportunity in every area of their life. We want every young person to have their own job and own their own home,” he stated.
According to President Ali, the solutions which will be provided to address the needs of vulnerable communities, and at-risk groups, will be sustainable, and will be in the interest of all Guyanese.
Meanwhile, First Lady Arya Ali also used the opportunity to engage some of the residents of the community, outlining some of her plans to support youth and women.
She explained that over the next five years, her office will work towards providing social and economic support for women and other vulnerable groups across Guyana.
One of the intended plan is to facilitate the establishment of micro and small scale women-lead businesses by having lending agencies and other financial institutions provide start-up capital to entrepreneurs.
Additionally, she will be working with the Ministry of Education and some of the country’s post-secondary institution to increase enrolment of women and youths who are desirous of learning a skill or trade, but were never given the opportunity to pursue same. (Office of the President)
