Yarrowkabra Homestead project to strengthen women-led households – Housing Minister

– as 27 single mothers allocated homes

Minister of Housing Collin Croal has said that the Hyde Park (Yarrowkabra) Homestead Housing Project initiative goes beyond housing, explaining that it is designed to strengthen women-led households and recognise the critical role women play in family stability and national development.
The Minister made the remarks as the first 27 beneficiaries received allocations for their new homes during the project’s launch on Thursday.
The initiative aims to provide low-income homes for single mothers while promoting self-sufficiency through agriculture.
“This project emphasises the empowerment of women-led households and recognises the vital role that women play in strengthening families, sustaining communities, and advancing national development,” the Minister added.
Minister Croal described the project as a clear example of Government action, saying it reflects a commitment to delivering real support for citizens, particularly women-led households, through housing and economic opportunity.
The ceremony, which was held at the site in Hyde Park along the Soesdyke Linden Highway, was attended by several senior Government officials, including Minister within the Ministry of Housing, Vanessa Benn and Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister Kwame McKoy, along with Dr Martin Pertab, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA); CEO of the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), Jagnarine Singh; Commissioner of the Guyana Forestry Commission, Edward Goberdhan; and representatives of local banks and insurance companies.

Single-mother development
Minister McKoy emphasised that the project aims to assist single mothers, granting them the opportunity to have a home and provide for their children. He added that women and children have been a priority when this project was being developed.
“…this is for single-parent women of our country. Single-parent women are very important. We have placed tremendous emphasis on women and children, and we are providing opportunities so that you can utilise them for your own opportunity for all our women across this country and particularly on the [Soesdyke Linden] Highway and women who will be coming from other parts of the country here, particularly in Region Four. Our housing programme takes care of women every single day.”
The first 50 homes are already completed, with an additional 25 homes being about 50 per cent completed; 37 are set to begin construction shortly.
The Housing Ministry noted that when completed, the first block in the Hyde Park (Yarrowkabra) site will accommodate 112 units.

Beneficiaries will not only receive subsidised homes offered to qualifying families for around GY$7 million, but they will also benefit from an attached shade house. This structure is expected to enable year-round cultivation of high-value crops such as celery, broccoli, and bell peppers, producing supplemental income to assist with mortgage payments.
The CEO of the CH&PA highlighted in his address that the development spans 100 acres and integrates locally sourced materials.
“… a key component of the construction has to do with the use of what we commonly refer to as the lesser-known species of hardwood. While, of course, with the construction now, as the sector is booming, we have seen the use of many materials that we have imported; this project has focused on the use of locally produced hardwood.”
He noted that this initiative isn’t only about providing homes for single mothers but also granting opportunities for them to have a second form of income generated by their proceeds.
“The idea was pretty straightforward. It’s not only to allocate a unit to single mothers but also to include, or as part of that package to include, a shade house that would allow them to service the mortgage of that property with the proceeds from the shade house,” he added.
NAREI has committed to providing ongoing technical training to residents, ensuring they have the skills needed to successfully cultivate crops year-round.
Aaron Ramroop, an Extension Coordinator of NAREI, told the gathering that in addition to the project, “The National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute is ready and fully in support of this programme where we will be providing technical training in the agronomic practice of the various crop types… So, rest assured, our support for this program to the community of Yarrowkabra: we will provide technical guidance and training continuously to those who would have – who are going to be involved in the planting of these shade houses.”