A Christmas wish comes true: President Ali gifts single mother new house

President Dr Irfaan Ali on Christmas Day visited the Corentyne to donate a house to a single mother of four, who was living under very harsh conditions in a makeshift house.
The Head of State organised the project through the Men on Mission initiative after
Guyana Times published an article on Christmas Day about the mother’s hardships. For 35-year-old Anita Lloyd, a single mother of four, who benefitted from receipt of this brand-new home, it was a Christmas miracle come true.
It was delivered to her on Christmas Day by President Dr Irfaan Ali.
The woman had previously lived in a deplorable state at Ankerville, Port Mourant, and the Men on Mission were responsible for constructing Lloyd’s new home at Williamsburg New Housing Scheme, Corentyne.
At the simple handing over ceremony, President Ali spoke of some of the work being done by the Men on Mission initiative.

 

“For example, they have worked on a very robust plan for mental health medical outreaches, children outreaches; we have more than 350 families that will benefit from home improvement or housing projects. We have about 20 communities that will benefit from important pieces of investment that will help the social aspect of their conditions and their development; and then we have a major programme that we are launching early in January. That programme is to have more community-oriented spirit and more discipline in our public schools,” the President said.
Prior to Christmas Day, the situation was so dire for Lloyd that her 12-year-old daughter had been beating the masquerade drum in order to provide much-needed finances, including funding for her eight-month-old brother’s diapers. For Lloyd, it is a daily struggle as a part-time worker earning $40,000.
This publication met Lloyd after her 12-year-old daughter, wearing a masquerade mask, was beating a drum in the vicinity of the Port Mourant Market after 18:00h. When approached, the young girl said she needed to raise $3000 so she could assist her mother to purchase diapers for her eight-month-old brother.
Meanwhile, President Ali said it was not just giving the home to Lloyd, but she, like all who are beneficiaries of such programmes, must make a commitment.
“The mother has to commit that she will take care of her children, and also she will ensure that her children are in school. The community has to ensure that she keeps to this commitment; the region has to ensure that she keeps to this commitment. These children must be in school, because education has the power to change the circumstances of families,” the President outlined.
Lloyd and her family had, since 2018, been living on GuySuCo reserve. (G4)