MoM to focus on women empowerment, societal ills next year – Pres Ali

– as another Guyanese family benefits from newly-constructed home

Having recorded yet another successful year of helping the vulnerable and enhancing the lives of hundreds of citizens, the Men on Mission (MoM) initiative will be expanded in the new year to focus on priority areas such as women’s empowerment and addressing societal ills.
This is according to President Dr Irfaan Ali, who founded the MoM initiative back in 2022.

MoM is a national programme focused on empowering men to become positive role models and support a progressive society by tackling issues like violence against women and children.
Since its establishment, the MoM initiative has built approximately 160 new homes for families nationwide and assisted another 300 persons with home enhancements.
Looking ahead, President Ali outlined key priorities for the MoM initiative in the coming year, including improving sanitary facilities and ensuring homes have proper access to water.
According to the Head of State, MoM will also tackle social problems like gambling and alcohol or substance abuse that often put men at the centre of issues affecting the family and community.
“Men are sometimes at the heart of these problems. And we have to use men to resolve this and to reduce the burden we put on society and the burden we put on families and our children because of our behaviour, because of the way we approach life. And this is a big part of what Men on Mission is about. You know, preparing and demonstrating a different way of doing things,” the Head of State emphasised.

Women empowerment
Additionally, MoM will also focus on the empowerment of women in communities in 2026 with the launch of a programme that will see backyard gardens and shade houses being developed.
President Ali explained that these women will grow seasoning crops like celery and pepper and then prepare them for retail through prep kitchens that will be set up in various communities across the country.
“What we want to do is to take clusters of homes and create prep kitchens at different locations across the country, where you will take the seasoning, you will [prepare] it in the kitchen,” he noted.
The Head of State pointed out that there are already businesses lined up to take these finished products to put on their shelves and even distribute nationwide. However, he added that these women will also be empowered to market their own homegrown produce.
“So, we have all these prep kitchens. But prep kitchens, also, that will create their own demand for the produce that you are producing in your backyard. So, there is a lot of projects for Men on Mission that we are looking at,” President Ali stated.
The Guyanese leader made these remarks on Christmas morning as he joined MOM officials and volunteers to hand over a newly built home to James Hercules and his family at Enterprise along the East Coast of Demerara.
Hercules, 46, lives with an orthopaedic impairment, a severe physical disability affecting his musculoskeletal system that hinders his movement. He has spent most of his life moving his family from one rental to another.

New home for Christmas
He wrote to President Ali requesting his assistance, and through the MoM initiative, this was fulfilled – something which Hercules was grateful for.
“I give God all the grace and thanks. And to the President, Irfaan Ali, I give him real respect. I’m thankful very much for this home [that] you could put some shelter for me and my family. I was renting a house. I was living in my parents’ place, neighbours tormenting me and cussing me about my sickness, everything,” an emotional Hercules recalled.
According to the recipient, after he wrote the President for assistance, he received his house lot and subsequently got help from MoM to construct his home.
“I’m thankful for the government for what it’s doing for our Guyanese,” the man declared.
Meanwhile, President Ali pointed out that initiatives such as this would not happen without the effort and commitment from MoM members and volunteers who continue to deliver and help vulnerable Guyanese. He said Guyana can only enjoy full prosperity when its people are willing to help uplift each other.
“And to do that with a fair conscience is exactly what we are seeing here today. Outside of the hundreds of families who have benefited in a physical way from Men on Mission, there are thousands of families who have benefited under different circumstances. But the most important element of Men on Mission is the hundreds of thousands of manpower [hours] that is donated by volunteers, men across this country, to support families, to give a kind word, to talk to children, to go within communities… So, it is not only about the homes; it is about the hours and the dedication from the people that went in there,” the President noted.
According to National Coordinator for the MoM initiative, Lieutenant Colonel Bhageshwar Murli, the steadfast commitment of the members and volunteers has delivered immeasurable impact to the lives of vulnerable Guyanese.
“Over 300 families have received building materials to improve their homes – materials for roofs, bathrooms, walls, windows, floors, kitchens, septic tanks, and you name it – helping families move from vulnerability to dignity.”
“In addition to over 300 families receiving materials, 160-plus families have received completed homes, including persons living with disabilities, pensioners, single parents, and those who have lost their homes to natural disaster. These are not statistics. These are lives that Men on Mission has changed,” the National Coordinator noted.
In addition, Murli added that MoM is also investing in the future of the nation through its Youth Empowerment and Mentorship Programme, which has seen close to 120 children from Lethem to Corriverton this year alone being guided with life skills, discipline, and positive values to not just strengthen homes but their futures as well.