7 Berbice youth players benefit from BCB Patron Education Trust Fund

…Minister Vickram Bharrat hands over $1.1M to BCB

The Berbice Cricket Board (BCB), Guyana’s most active cricket organisation, on Saturday continued its investments in the educational careers of junior players in the Ancient County.
The Board since the election of Hilbert Foster as President in 2018 has placed special emphasis on the promotion of education among its junior players and hundreds of them have received assistance to stay in school.
The Board handed over seven educational grants under its 2021 Patron Educational Trust Fund, during the hosting of a social skills development seminar for youths in the New Amsterdam-Canje area. The Fund is supported by Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat, who is the Honorary Patron of the BCB. The seven players who shared the combined grant of $100,000 were Aaron Craig, Ronaldo Gomes, Anthony Persaud, Dinesh Persaud, Aaron Seitaram, Shaquan Whyte and Daniel Victor.

BCB President Foster stated that the Board strongly believed that education was the key to a successful life and as such, it has invested heavily in the promotion of education among youths playing the game of cricket since 2018. He disclosed that over the last four years, hundreds of youth cricketers have received assistance in the form of grants, educational materials, uniforms, cycles and school bags among other items. The BCB also created history when it became the first cricket board in Guyana to hand out an educational scholarship to the University of Guyana.
Foster, who is also a Vice President of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) and a Director of Cricket West Indies (CWI), shared that close to 30 Under-17 players would benefit under the Patron Fund during the month of November. The players would each receive a voucher that would allow them to uplift educational materials from Metro Office Supplies.

Further speaking on why the BCB invests so heavily in education, Foster stated that an educated mind makes for better all-round cricketers and also prevents major embarrassment on the international stage. He reminded the youths that nothing could take away what they learn and most importantly, an educated mind allows you to think faster on your feet in a crisis. He hailed the outstanding work of Minister Bharrat in his capacity of Board Patron and expressed thanks to him for funding the educational grant programme.
The Natural Resources Minister, in a well-received feature address, spoke broadly on the importance of education and personal discipline. He shared that he was very impressed by the outstanding work of the BCB and he was fully committed to making sure that the county of Berbice produces cricketers who would excel on and off the cricket field.
The Minister also handed over two cheques valued $1.1 million to BCB Treasurer Dr Cecil Beharry for the Patron Fund. The funds would be used to provide the educational grants across the county and to also hosts four social skills developmental seminars in the four sub-associations in Berbice. Minister Bharrat committed another $1 million to the Fund for 2021, which would be used to assist the county’s 11 First- Division clubs with cricket balls for the packed upcoming season.