US takes assistance to Linden schools

Oct 07, 2010 News

The U.S. Embassy’s Humanitarian Assistance Programme (HAP) yesterday donated several pieces of sports equipment and supplies to the education sector in the rural areas of Region Ten to the local education department.
The handing over ceremony was held in the auditorium of the Mackenzie High School.

HaP Programme Director Jordan Burfield of the US Embassy presents some of the equipment to Regional Education Officer Henry Rodney (right) and Education Officer Claude Johnson.

Television sets, DVD players, sports equipment and phonics programmes worth $2 million was handed over to officials from the Education department, including Education Officer Mr Claude Johnson and Regional Education Officer, Henry Rodney.
Some of the Schools that will benefit include Rockstone, Ituni and Coomacka Primary Schools.
According to Jordan Burfield, Humanitarian Assistance Programme Director of the US Embassy in Guyana, the donation resulted from a June assessment conducted by the HAP Team in collaboration with the Region Ten Education Department and Regional Democratic Council Office.
The assessment was done to determine ways in which the Embassy could assist in the Region. Burfield said that Regional Education Officer, Rodney, had indicated during the discussions that Education was a ‘big focus,’in Region Ten thus the decision was made to focus in that area, as well as sports.
The HAP team was taken on a tour to the various outlying schools by Ms Keane Adams, in those areas around the region that don’t receive adequate assistance, to determine the level of help needed.
The team visited Rockstone, Ituni and Coomacka, where the team members met with teachers, students and other persons and held discussions with them.
Burfield pointed out that it was observed that there was lack of media in most of the schools or how to take the next step with technology in education.
It was also observed that many of the students did not have a lot to do in their spare time. The team saw the need for sporting equipment. Among the sporting items donated were footballs, basketballs, and cricket gear.
Burfield said that the equipment on hand was just a small portion of what was being donated.
Rodney thanked the HAP team for the assistance and noted that the programme had begun in 2009, with a generous donation of about $20 million to the home economics and sports department of some secondary schools in the region.
The assistance continues this year with donations totalling $10 million to the primary schools.
Rodney said that the donations would go a long way toward enhancing the literacy and educational facilities in this area. He said that the region welcomes this sort of partnership which he said he hoped would continue to grow stronger as time goes on.
He also expressed optimism that such programmes could be established in other far flung areas, as time goes on. He exhorted recipients to care the equipment and ensure that they are utilized for the purposes intended.
Regional Education Officer, Claude Johnson, also singled out members of the media for a special thank you, for the work they have been doing in the region.