MoM, private sector rebuild Save R Kids access bridge in 24 hours

President Dr Irfaan Ali, members of Men on Mission (MoM) and private sector representatives from Regions Three and Four worked into the early hours of Sunday to complete the reconstruction of the access bridge at the Save R Kids Children’s Home at Cornelia Ida, West Coast Demerara (WCD).
Ali announced the project in a post on his social media page, explaining that the initiative brought together members of the business community to restore infrastructure serving the children’s home.
The project was undertaken under the MoM initiative, with the President seeking to demonstrate how communities and private businesses can collaborate to improve access to essential facilities.
During a visit to the home on Saturday night, Ali said the First Lady, Arya Ali, had been working closely with the institution through her “Sponsor a Home” initiative, under which her office covers utilities and other expenses.
He said the bridge reconstruction represented a larger capital project being undertaken with the support of businessmen, including Brian Tiwari and Umrao, along with National Coordinator of MoM, Lieutenant Colonel Bhageshwar Murli.
“We are going to try to restore this bridge, to do it in 24 hours, by tomorrow it will be completed,” Ali said.
He explained that the initiative was intended to serve as a model for other communities, encouraging men and business representatives to work together to repair infrastructure leading to children’s homes and other important facilities.
While acknowledging the Government’s ongoing road and public infrastructure development programme, Ali said stronger partnerships were needed between the private sector and institutions providing services to the public.
At about 21:10h on Saturday, the President reported that workers were preparing to install the bridge beams and decking. He said the scope of work had also been expanded to include the construction of both approaches to the bridge, with the team aiming to complete the additional work within the same 24-hour period.
A representative of the children’s home welcomed the intervention, explaining that the reconstruction had not been planned because of the high cost involved.
“We really need this bridge to rebuild. It was very costly because we did an estimate. So it wasn’t planned, but thank God for the President and the assistance that is being offered to having our bridge repaired because this is the one that’s on the entrance and the exit,” the representative said.
The representative also thanked the Government and the businessmen who contributed to the project. The bridge provides access to the children’s home and serves as its entrance and exit.