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“This programme has been a long-term partnership and it’s not the first, we had before the Hinterland Housing Programme and now under this program, some 360 families will benefit”.

The IDB Country Rep. stressed the fact that the programme aim is to enhance the quality of life for vulnerable families in a holistic way as the various components deal with all-round development of communities.

AHUAP is an IDB-funded programme, aimed at improving the quality of life in urban and peri-urban Georgetown through better access to adequate housing and basic infrastructure for low-income populations, and through improved accessibility and mobility services. In addition to the Core Home initiative, another aspect of AHUAP is the Home Improvement Subsidy, which sees beneficiaries receiving a $500,000 grant in the form of materials to make much-needed repairs to their homes. AHUAP also prioritizes the safety of women and girls by conducting Women’s Safety Audit (WSA) workshops to properly plan infrastructure development in target communities.

The programme previously encompassed communities from Georgetown to Grove on the East Bank of Demerara, up to La Bonne Intention on the East Coast of Demerara and Westminster, Onderneeming, Recht-Door-Zee, Lust en Rust, and Parfaite Harmonie Phase II on the West Bank of Demerara. The Ministry expanded the boundary in 2021 to include nineteen communities on the East Coast of Demerara, stretching the boundary to Victoria. (Ministry of Housing and Water Press Release)

Several regional organisations are scheduled to participate in Tradewinds 23, including the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Regional Security System (RSS), the Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA).

Guyana’s Army Chief, Brigadier Omar Khan also addressed the launch event on Saturday and highlighted the common vision for regional security shared among the participating countries and agencies.

“I encourage all troops to make use of the opportunities these exercises will bring.

“For Guyana, a budding oil-producing nation, this exercise comes at a significant point in history and we are grateful for this opportunity,” Brigadier Khan said.

Part of the exercise will deal with oil spill response readiness.

And Major General William Thigpen, who is the Commanding General of U.S. Army South, reiterated that the U.S presence here is to demonstrate an enduring commitment to the disaster response and preparedness of the region.

He said the aim was and will always be a “safe and secure environment for the shared neighbourhood.”

The Made in Guyana Standards Mark is a registered mark that aims to provide recognition to locally manufactured products on the local and international markets and is a signature of quality for authentic Guyanese Products. Certificates are valid for one year after which it is renewed.

Meanwhile, the Caribbean Endocrinology Institute Inc. Laboratory received its certificate on Friday, July 14 at its David Street, Kitty, Georgetown facility. The scope of certification covers Haematology, Biochemistry, Serology, Urology and Endocrinology.

Chief Executive Officer of the facility, Dr. Caleb Mc Cloggan said he began pursuing certification to the GYS 170:2021 – General Requirements for the operations of a Laboratory National Standard, since launching the business. Achieving this milestone he said, means a lot for him and other doctors attached to the laboratory. “Becoming certified by the GNBS speaks a lot about us…it confirms that we have standards here at the Caribbean Endocrinology Institute Inc…this will also help us to reach out to other health institutions and offer our services” he said.

Offering congratulations on behalf of the GNBS was Head of the Certification Services Department Mr. Keon Rankin who urged the management of the facility to pursue International Accreditation. “This national standard was developed using the ISO 15189 and the ISO/IEC 17025 standards, therefore making it easier to achieve accreditation once certified. The standard is a baseline for accreditation, so I am encouraging you to not stop here but to pursue accreditation to the international standard,” he told those gathered at the ceremony.

The GNBS certifies Clinical and Testing laboratories to the National Standard to ensure that customers receive accurate and reliable test results. Owners of laboratories which are not certified are urged to join the certification process to boost recognition and improve their operations. (GNBS Press Release)

The graduating teachers were:

1. Saffina Daniels – Timehri Nursery
2. Angela Layne – Clonbrook Nursery
3. Odessey Pieters – Martyr’s Ville Nursery
4. Tiana Thornhill – Kuru Kururu Nursery
5. Onika Allen – Eccles Primary
6. Saskia Sparman – Timehri Primary
7. Olicka Barton-Chichester – Peter’s Hall Primary
8. Erica Barkie – Covent Garden Secondary
9. Renita Dindyal – Annandale Sec
10. Marcelle Griffith – Friendship Sec.
11. Jonnel Simon – President’s College
12. Nikita Wilson-Husbands – Golden Grove Secondary

The teachers treated the small audience with 4 well-presented Dance items. Two of the dance items were representative of two cultural forms (Indian and African) and two were representative of modern dance.

Present at the graduation ceremony was Mr. Mark Roberts who represented the office of the Deputy Chief Education Officer-Technical. In giving his remarks, Mr. Roberts congratulated the teachers for their success and impressed on them the need to use this training as an impetus to create waves of change in this education system as it relates to Dance Education. He expressed that dance can be used as an art form that will touch the lives of many students. If promoted and supported Dance will influence children in the right way. Also, in Guyana we are rich culturally, with six ethnic groups, so this gives us a great deal to work with as teachers. In closing Mr. Roberts urged the teachers to dream bid, but also to be disciplined so that they may achieve those goals.

Tiana Thornhill and Jonnel Simon were two of the teachers who provided the audience with brief reflections on the dance course. Tianna expressed that she initially did everything to get her name off the list of teachers for the course, but with the encouragement of her husband she fought her fears and participated in the course. And thanks to the support she received from her fellow batchmates and instructors she fell in love with dance and now has a very different feeling about the activity.

Jonnel shared similar sentiments and explained that the course is not an easy one since it has a diverse course outline and is very physically demanding. She was happy to know that investments were being made within the arts.

The New Head of the Unit of Allied Arts, Mr. Nicholas Fraser, reminded teachers that skills and knowledge are much more valuable when shared and thanked the participants and their families for the hard work they put in throughout the sometimes-grueling dance course. He added that the hard work was very evident in the quality of the performances from the teachers.

The Unit of Allied Arts will seek guidance from the CTVET in relation to developing an Occupational Standard for Dance, which will be the first of its kind in CARICOM. As such some urgent improvements will be made before the commencement of the next In-Service Dance Course. (MOE Press Release)