Matthews Ridge gets ambulance, bus, recreational facility to boost development

Significant development is underway at Matthews Ridge, Region One (Barima-Waini) as the community received a boost in health, education, and youth and sports development.
A new ambulance and a minibus were officially handed over to the community by Housing and Water Minister, Collin Croal, during an outreach at the Community Centre Ground on Saturday.

During the small ceremony, Croal emphasised the government’s commitment to enhancing the lives of its citizens, noting that Matthews Ridge is no exception.
“Matthews Ridge itself, whether you are coming from the other end…you will see a lot of development taking place, whether infrastructural or improving the lives of the people here,” Croal is quoted as saying in a DPI report.
The ambulance was procured through the Health Ministry. The Matarkai sub-district is now equipped with three ambulances, at Baramita, Matthews Ridge, and Port Kaituma.
In addition to the transportation, a new football and basketball surface was also commissioned at the Community Centre ground.
The community also received basketball, football, and cricket gear, along with brush cutters and a pressure washer to facilitate the maintenance of their recreational facility.
These were facilitated through the first tranche of $21 million allocated to the community from the carbon credit funds.
Regional Chairman Brentnol Ashley spoke of the significance of the development in the once-neglected community, explaining that the Government, over the past three years has been empowering the local democratic organs to facilitate the development in communities.
“This is a very positive initiative being undertaken by the CDC which I must commend…We at the level of the council will continue to support this community’s development,” Ashley noted.
Meanwhile, Chairperson of the Community Development Council (CDC), Sharon Phillips stated that the community is expected to receive some $30 million through carbon credit funds.
Among the other projects to be executed are a block-making initiative and the construction of a kitchen at the nursery school.
Accordingly, several projects are ongoing in the community including the construction of concrete roads and bridges under the Public Works Ministry. The electricity network is also being extended to include additional households, and a new water distribution system implemented to provide more reliable access to water.