She noted that beside the $776.5M allocation for the Ministry’s current budget and $1.4B allocation towards the capital budget, the hinterland is further provided for within all five pillars of the budget. “This budget offers much hope to our indigenous brothers and sisters, the majority of whom have been living in poverty for too long,” Garrido-Lowe said.

On education, Minister Garrido-Lowe noted that the government is working to bridge the gap between youth on the coastland and those in the hinterland. Development would not focus only on infrastructure such as roads and bridges but also, on developing human capital.

The Minister noted that youths in all communities are suffering from the lack of jobs, adding the government is very concerned over this. Noting the lack of skills in the hinterland, Garrido-Lowe pointed to young people not being trained as mechanics to repair the village tractors when they become non-functional and not having youths trained in carpentry and joinery to help make furniture for schools.

“How can we expect them to become young entrepreneurs when we do not extend such training to them?” Garrido-Lowe questioned as she referred to what was taking place under the previous administration. She reminded the House that the previous administration ended the Youth Entrepreneurship and Apprenticeship Programme (YEAP) in April 2015 even as she questioned the number of jobs provided for persons who were engaged under that programme. According to Garrido-Lowe, under the YEAP, officers were receiving $30,000 per month for doing nothing, and were being used to push the PPP elections campaign. 

To eradicate poverty in the hinterland and avoid wastage of tax dollars, there needs to be training of young people which would prepare them to be entrepreneurs and leaders, she stated. “This is what our government through the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs will be doing,” Garrido-Lowe stated.

Pointing to the Hinterland Employment and Youth Service (HEYS) programme that was launched on October 1, 2015 in Region Eight, the Minister said the programme entails six months of classroom training followed by six months of practical training. In addition, trainees receive $30,000 per month and an additional $10,000 is set aside for them which they would receive on completion of the training. She said there are also opportunities for them to develop business plans and receive start-up funding for small businesses.

According to Garrido-Lowe, six villages are now involved in the programme; 108 youths are receiving training in Math and English, and entrepreneurship training in areas such as eco-tourism. Computer science would be added. She said the idea is to have training linked to community development projects so that those funded through the Guyana REDD+ Investment Fund (GRIF) would be successful.

Pointing to allocations in the 2016 budget, Garrido-Lowe noted that $997M has been earmarked for youth education through the HEYS programme, where youths from 100 villages would benefit. Villages with high youth population will be targeted to begin with. An amount of $110.7M is budgeted for the Hinterland Scholarship Programme from which 500 students are to benefit. The sum of $89.4M has been allocated for school uniforms; this would benefit 30,000 students of all ages.

She noted that there is also provision for a new dormitory at Liliendaal so hinterland students can have the opportunity to access institutions of higher learning in the city.

Meanwhile $3.1B has been allotted to improve access and e-service for hinterland poor and remote communities.

Pointing to more opportunities to be created by the government, the Minister said there will be collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism to train persons so they could start their own tour guide companies while others would be trained in catering, food processing, photography and other professions.

Garrido-Lowe noted that Indigenous peoples have long been producing organic vegetables and fruits and now the ministry is in discussions with the Institute of Applied Science and Technology (IAST) on growing drying, packaging and marketing of organic tomatoes. She said farmers would be the backbone of this project.

She also revealed the government’s drive to develop a lapidary industry utilising the semi-precious stones found in the hinterland.  According to the Minister, an expert has already visited and is standing by to conduct training.

On women development, Garrido-Lowe pointed to training for that would help them develop small businesses while others would get support for kitchen gardens where the produce would go towards the schools’ kitchen. There would also be cookery and nutrition classes. “The aim is to have villages of healthy people,” the Minister said.

According to the Minister, the government is looking to make the Indigenous people self-sufficient and in this regard would be investing in agriculture, tourism and other activities that would allow the people the opportunity to help themselves out of poverty, “returning pride and resolve that is imbedded in the psyche of our first peoples.”