More jobs, income for Quiko Village as several projects commissioned

The government’s strategic investments are making a positive impact on hinterland communities. Quiko, an Amerindian village in Region Nine, is poised for greater economic expansion following the commissioning of several projects.
Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Pauline Sukhai on Monday travelled to the village situated in South Central Rupununi, to officially commission the projects which are set to create jobs for villagers and generate income for the village.
One of the projects commissioned is a $2 million Youth Documentation Centre funded partially by the COVID-19 Economic Investment Fund and the Carbon Credit programme. Its primary objective is to provide educational materials and resources to school-aged children at a central location.
Senior Councillor Ronald Ignatius, during an interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI), said youths will have the opportunity to gain employment and managerial skills through this project.
“The main objective [this project] is that we target other schools surrounding our sub-district, in terms of persons getting passport size pictures, coming to do laminations and getting information and so on. There’s also a documentation centre that is out in Lethem [but] because of the cost of the distance, we decided to have that [centre] in our community,” he further highlighted.
Additionally, the $2 million Sewing Centre and Catering Kitchen that was commissioned, will allow women to benefit from the ‘Because We Care grants’ by engaging in garment construction to supply school uniforms.
“The women’s initiative [will] create job opportunities for women in the community to do garment construction and also catering for persons who are capable enough to do catering,” he further expounded.
Another initiative undertaken by the village includes the development of a Rodeo Arena that will serve as a venue for annual rodeo activities. Ignatius believes that this single event can change the local economy of the community and its surrounding areas.
Following the commissioning exercises, he expressed commendation for the government’s investments and for allowing villages to prioritise their development based on their needs.
“I want to say thanks to [the] government for putting a lot of funds into projects that we know can change the economic state in our community, which the government also know that we as indigenous people can manage our funding by taking it up and putting it into good use,” the senior councillor expressed.