First Lady of Guyana, Arya Ali, today honoured her commitments made to local group ‘Seawalls and Beyond’ to participate in one of its clean-up exercises and to provide the group with much-needed supplies to continue its work.
First Lady, Arya Ali along with volunteers as she donated cleaning supplies – Photo Credit: (Department of Public Information)
The group’s coordinator, Dwayne Hackett, took the First Lady and City Engineer Walter Narine on a mini-tour of the area, showing them the work done and some of the challenges that will need to be addressed if the area is to be transformed into a tourist hub.
Among those challenges are the area’s occupation by vagrants, improper lighting, unregulated vending, and the absence of washroom facilities and a freshwater source. After completing their assessment, the group went back to cleaning, this time, with the First Lady’s support, who later commented that her participation demonstrates her commitment to the restoration of the area.
She highlighted that these efforts complement her National Beautification Project, which brings to the fore scenic conservation to safeguard the scenic qualities of Guyana’s roadways, urban spaces, and countryside. One of the National Beautification Project pillars focuses on regulation and monitoring of any form of unlawful intrusion on the landscape or community appearance of public spaces.
While volunteers are doing the removal of waste at this time, the First Lady noted that maintenance would be essential and so she has committed to engaging the relevant authorities to ensure that the area is appropriately maintained.
During the clean-up exercise – Photo Credit: (Department of Public Information)
The First Lady has also indicated that part of her restoration plans for the Seawall will be planting trees along the coastline and reintroducing the creative arts at the famous bandstand. After cleaning, the First Lady made a donation of cleaning and other supplies, which she was able to mobilize through the private sector. Some of the supplies included pitchforks, spades, buckets, and brooms.
The items were donated by National Hardware, Gaffoors, Caribbean International Distributors Inc. (CIDI), and Cellphone Shack.
