More than 500 primary and secondary school children in Bartica received backpacks and school supplies on Saturday as the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) continued its nationwide back-to-school support programme.
A release from the GGDMA said that the Bartica exercise represents the latest phase of an initiative valued at more than $6 million, through which the Association is distributing approximately 1,000 school packages to children in communities across Guyana.
The GGDMA said that each child attending Saturday’s activity received a backpack containing school supplies, while the GGDMA also provided lunch for the children. GGDMA Managing Director Avalon Jagnandan said the Association was particularly pleased to bring the programme to Bartica because of the town’s longstanding ties to Guyana’s mining industry.
“Bartica means a lot to us, and we appreciate the community which has supported the mining sector over the years.
“We are happy to be here in the mining town of Bartica, the gateway to the interior, and to reach out to over 500 kids, both primary and secondary. Each child received a backpack with school supplies, and we also provided lunch because some of these children travelled from far-flung areas,” Jagnandan said.
The release said that the Bartica distribution follows the Association’s first handing-over exercise in Region Four, where children from several communities and organisations benefited from school supplies as part of the same programme. The release said that the GGDMA initiative is supported by more than 20 miners who contributed towards the programme, which forms part of the Association’s continuing corporate social responsibility efforts.
“This is a project valued at over $6 million, and we want to say thank you to our partners. We have more than 20 miners who contributed towards this back-to-school initiative, and the support allows us to reach children in communities across Guyana,” he said.
Region Seven Regional Councillor Lorenzo Best described the programme as an important contribution to families in the region and said it had been warmly received by residents.
“What we witnessed here today is a true act of altruism by the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association. It was very beneficial and well received by the residents of Region Seven. These are not merely backpacks; they are well equipped with the stationery and other things that children need for school,” Best said.
He thanked the GGDMA on behalf of the Regional Democratic Council and residents of Region Seven, noting that the assistance would contribute positively to the education of the children who benefited.
Bartica resident Kiana Scott, who was among those attending the exercise, said the initiative would make a meaningful difference to children and families in the community.
The next GGDMA school package handing-over exercise will take place in Linden.
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