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15 PLWHAs get new lease on life
Officials from the collaborating organisations. From left: Andrea Benjamin, Orrin Boston, Alex Graham and Habitat’s Roger Rogers
Fifteen young men living with HIV/AIDs were yesterday given a new lease on life when they were presented with certificates for undergoing a nearly two-month-long intense programme which has equipped them with the basic skills needed for construction, masonry and carpentry.
A simple graduation ceremony was held for the young men at the Water Chris Hotel and Bar on Waterloo Street, where the graduates were charged to make the best of their acquired knowledge and skills.
The programme came as part of the collaborative efforts of humanitarian organisations Habitat for Humanity and Food for the Poor, along with USAID/GHARP. The support of the National AIDS Programme Secretariat was also sought.
And, according to Director of Administration at USAID/GHARP, Mr Orrin Boston, the whole programme was a commendable task which was undertaken by Habitat for Humanity.
He noted that fruition resulted from a collaborative effort with other parties with prime objectives of their own coming together to form a union, which in itself has fostered something of potential growth.
“Very often, we look at what persons could do for us, and I think this initiative, which sees three bodies which had never before worked together, still managing to come together, overcoming the hurdles and propelling persons to undertake studies in the construction skills area.”
Boston said that it is through such initiatives that a community, and even society as a whole, could benefit considerably, given the situation of unemployment that exists. He noted that the harmonisation of the entities has led to the empowerment of the young men, who could now become competitive on the job market.
Boston said that although the programme has been focused on young men, it will in the future become a more holistic approach which would entail the development of skills for both male and female.
Representing Food for the Poor, Ms Andrea Benjamin said that although there were some challenges during the initial stages of the programme, the major focus was however directed towards ensuring that success was derived.
And though the programme has proven to be a success, Chairman of Habitat for Humanity, Alex Graham, related that it was almost two years in the making. “This has been a tremendous learning experience. The participants obviously learnt something, but I think that the organisations that have tried to do this have learnt a lot, too.”
“While it might seem like just a play on words, very often we tend by virtue of the use of words like ‘basic,’ to disparage the skills that people acquire in programmes like these, not recognising how life-transforming they are…”
The young men were involved in theoretical and practical sessions which exposed them to steel bending, masonry, plumbing and other areas in the construction of five houses at Parfait Harmonie, West Bank Demerara, according to Habitat’s Associate Director, Ms Cheryl Douglas.
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