Roraima Airways continues to upkeep Santa Mission Primary
WITH a population of fifty-five students, the Santa Mission Primary School has once again benefited from an overhaul as Roraima Airways extended its corporate social responsibility to the Santa Mission village nestled in Region 3 (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara). The company has yet again refurbished the school’s setting besides supplying it with an array of books and furniture. This has been an ongoing project coupled with hosting and sponsoring the community’s annual children’s Christmas party, by way of giving back to the community.
Since the days of its early adoption in 1995 by the multibillion-dollar company, the primary school has always displayed excellence in its appearance.
Media operatives were taken on an all-expense-paid tour last Thursday to the only Indigenous village in Region 3, Santa Mission, where nine spirited Roraima Airways staff were seen braving the scorching sun in order to refurbish the school in time for the 2015-2016 academic year.
In 1995, tourist attraction in Guyana was touted as the ‘best-ever’, particularly in Indigenous villages like Santa Mission. This was the driving factor that led Airline Transport Rated Pilots, Captain ‘Gerry’ Gouveia and wife, Captain Debbie Gouveia, to adopt the school just after founding Arrowpoint Nature Resort, one of the finer examples of Guyana’s eco-tourism product.
Since its establishment, the Resort has been providing a direct source of income for both the community and its members by providing employment opportunities while the annual land lease fee adds to the financial development of the village. The employment rate is at 80 per cent and above.
The community of some 400 has several loggers while the women are into craft production.
However, the village does not own a secondary school. This, said a resident, is “appalling” since many families are forced to migrate to Georgetown so that their children can complete their secondary and tertiary education.
Meanwhile, while at the Arrowpoint Resort, media operatives were greeted with glimpses of its bountiful beauty and recreational opportunities for guests such as mountain biking, trekking, bird watching, kayaking and the taste of cassava-based meals.
