MOM not only about building houses – national coordinator

As the Men on Mission (MOM) initiative launched by President Dr Irfaan Ali continue to transform the lives of vulnerable citizens, the programme’s National Coordinator has explained that the initiative is more than just building houses for those in need.
The MoM programme is to expand its reach and impact across Guyana with a budgetary allocation of $700 million this year.
Of this sum, $395 million will be used to build 52 houses for vulnerable individuals nationwide.
Over the weekend, three houses that were built by MOM were handed over to three families in Berbice.
Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha handed over a house at Mount Sinai popularity referred to as Angoy’s Avenue, New Amsterdam, to 31-year-old Shelly Doodnauth, a single mother, of four.

Doodnauth had been living in a dilapidated building with her children.
Also on Saturday Natural Resources Minister, Vickram Bharrat handed over a semi furnished house to 62-year-old Brijwanti Mangru of Port Mourant, Corentyne and another one to Diwanti Sirpat, of Number 60 Village, Corentyne.
MOM works in all regions across the country. The programme, launched by President Dr Irfaan Ali in 2022, was intended to bring together men from all walks of life to tackle various issues affecting the population.
MoM gets a lot of publicity for its housing assistance projects.
However, National Coordinator Lieutenant Colonel Bhageshwar Murli said the initiative is not only focusing on housing assistance. In fact, much emphasis is being placed on the youth empowerment programmes it has established.
Five such programmes have been established thus far.
“One in Region Four at the One Guyana Kitchen on Main Street, one in Region Nine in Lethem and three in Region Six. We will be focusing a lot to make sure that those three-youth empowerment programmes in Region Six get the same kind of support as in Region Four and Region Nine,” Murli explained.
The Youth Empowerment Programmes focus on youths from vulnerable communities in a selected catchment area and have them transported from school to the centre where there is homework assistance, they are mentored and provided with life skills. Additionally, they are provided with assistance on various academic challenges the child may have either in English, Mathematics or any other subject area.
Apart from that, depending on the child’s age, career guidance is also provided.
“We are going to establish more in 2025, and we are also going to be focusing on the men empowering programme where we would have a safe space for men to have dialog and discussions on various challenges that men would be confronted with ” Murli added.
The MOM built homes for 50 persons in 2024, providing solitude and comfort to the previously hopeless.
Hundreds of persons were also given housing assistance and thousands were engaged in educational and motivational talks geared at empowering men to be compassionate, healthy and functional leaders in society.
The 2025, funding will allow MOM to expand these services and reach more communities.
“Those are some of the programmes we are focused on. The housing assistance programme would have seen more prominence and that is because as we went to various communities, we recognised that there was this need. Primarily His Excellency recognised that and added it to the initial set up of the Men on Mission programme,” the national MoM coordinator said. (G4)