“Gift of love” – Ali on $100M facility for Persons with Disabilities

…as sod turned by UAE Minister of State for WCD amenity

The sod was turned on Sunday afternoon for the construction of a multimillion-dollar modern school facility for Persons with Disabilities, at Crane, West Coast Demerara.

The facility is being funded by the Government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to the tune of US$500,000 or G$100 million.
UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation, Reem Al Hashimy led a delegation to Guyana for a one-day visit to participate in the sod-turning ceremony.
According to Minister Al Hashimy, the event was the highlight of her visit to Georgetown, noting that the school will target and benefit the most vulnerable group in society.
She said it is “…a school for young children and their families so that we better understand how we can help them and grow with them and learn from them.”
The UAE Minister joined President Dr Irfaan Ali and First Lady Arya Ali for the sod-turning ceremony at the site, located in Crane.
Addressing the gathering, the Head of State noted that the funding of this project, which he described as a “gift of love,” is a tangible demonstration of the character, concern and care of the UAE for Guyana and its people.
“Despite the miles that separate us, despite the cultural differences that separate us, despite the geographic separation, today, we are seeing the unification by good act and an act in the interest of people and in service to humanity… An investment that came from a country that has continuously demonstrated its support for humanity,” he stated.
This facility, according to President Ali, will stand tall as Guyana continues to work with the UAE in building stronger partnerships in the interest of both countries, for the joint prosperity of people, for the advancement of business opportunities for the private sector of both countries and for the development of a long-lasting, friendly, sustainable relationship between the two Governments.
The Guyanese leader noted that his Administration has an unwavering commitment towards enhancing the lives of persons living with different vulnerabilities, especially children.
“Our little children, who are differently-abled, they too must enjoy a good life. They too must enjoy a prosperous life. They too must be able to experience the joys of life in a comfortable environment – in an environment in which they’re safe; in an environment in which they’re protected, in an environment in which their parents can find the comfort of having their children there,” he stated.
To this end, President Ali highlighted that over the past three years, the Human Services and Social Security Ministry led by Minister Vindhya Persaud has been working on many initiatives to help vulnerable groups in the Guyanese society including Persons with Disabilities. He added that even the First Lady, through her office, has been doing a lot of work with people living with disabilities.
The Guyanese leader mentioned the almost 5000 children with disabilities who are registered to receive a $100,000 cash grant under the Public Assistance Programme. He also pointed to the $130 million special needs business centre that was built at Palmyra village, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), for persons with disabilities to be integrated into the work force and engage in commercial activities. These are in addition to the 13 special needs schools across the country, and according to the President, Government is investing in the training of more special-needs teachers.
“In addition to these schools, we are in the process of procuring seven new specialised vehicles, seven specialised school buses that will pick the children up and transport them to the school so that they will have an adequate means of getting to the schools. So those buses will also be connected to this facility… Those are the type of investment that will ensure the gap – the inequality gap – does not widen, but that we close that gap and give opportunity to every segment of the Guyanese population across the country,” the Head of State posited.
In addition to Sunday’s sod-turning, the UAE Minister also joined President Ali, his wife and son, Zayd, for a tree-planting exercise at the site location for the school.
Prior to this event, Minister Al Hashimy and her visiting delegation attended a breakfast hosted by President Ali on Sunday morning at State House, where they both spoke about the importance of enhancing relations between Guyana and the UAE.
Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, a number of other Cabinet Ministers, Government officials, representatives from the private sector and members of the diplomatic community were also present to engage the UAE officials.
Following the breakfast, the UAE Minister and her team had a formal meeting with President Ali and members of his Cabinet.
President Ali and Minister Al Hashimy first met in October 2021 when the Guyanese leader visited the UAE. During that visit, the two countries inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to advance technical assistance and cooperation.
The agreement was signed by the Senior Minister with responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh, and Minister Al Hashimy, who was the Managing Director for Expo2020 Dubai in which Guyana participated.
More recently, the two officials met in Nassau, Bahamas, on the sidelines of the 44th Regular Meeting of the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) back in February of this year.
During that engagement, President Ali and Minister Al Hashimy discussed preparation plans for COP28, which will be held in the UAE from November 30 to December 12, and Guyana’s partnership with the UAE regarding the conference.
Other issues discussed during that meeting included carbon credits, innovation, science and technology in the context of climate security, energy security and food security.
The UAE Minister first visited Guyana in January 2016 when she met with then President David Granger and his Cabinet Members. (G8)