Karasabai receives $1.5M to furnish Amerindian Hostel

The South Pakaraimas’ community of Karasabai in Region Nine has received the sum of $1.5 million under the Government’s Presidential Grant Fund programme to furnish the sub-district’s Amerindian Hostel.
The money was handed over to the Karasabai toshao in the form of a cheque

delivered by the Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Vice President Sydney Allicock, during his visit to the region on Wednesday.
The Presidential Grant programme is an annual fund made available to communities engaging in green sustainable projects such as cash crop cultivation, community building, eco-tourism projects, village canteens and shops, general transportation, and village markets among other projects.
Additionally, an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) was handed over to Community

Development Officer (CDO) Shurland Davis.
Minister Allicock explained that his office recognises there is need for more communication between the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs (MoIPA) and the South Pakaraimas’ peoples, hence the provision of the ATV to the CDO.
The Department of Public Information pointed out that CDOs are deployed in the various sub-regions of regions One, Seven, Eight and Nine to monitor all village activities and projects. They also facilitate visits of Government officials, provide logistical information to authorised representatives of governmental organisations, NGOs, and CBOs. They usually represent the MoIPA in village activities, and may help in identifying issues and lobbying on their communities’ behalf to get projects realised.