NY Indo Caribbean Federation and Minister Bharrat teamed up to complement further assistance for Society of Blind in Guyana

The New York based Indo-Caribbean Federation and Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat teamed up to complement assistance government has been rendering to the Society of the Blind.

The ICF is currently on its yearly humanitarian mission in Guyana. Every year, the ICF helps organizations with critical need in Guyana in addition to aiding Guyanese in USA.

Last Wednesday, the ICF commissioned the rehabilitation of interior of building of the Guyana Society for the Blind in Georgetown. The rehabilitation work was funded by Ministry of Natural Resources and the ICF. The president, Ralph Tamesh, and other members of ICF along with local volunteers hosted a ceremony that was attended by nearly 100 members from the Society. The Hon Minister of Natural Resources Mr. Vickram Bharrat graced the event, commending the work of ICF. Minister Bharrat is among a few Ministers who have high approval ratings on the ground and net positive ratings in surveys conducted by this writer. The supporters of PPP consistently said he is down to earth. Unlike several others, he answers or returns phone calls and does his best to assist with requests. Not surprisingly, he ranked very highly in the PPP’s central committee elections last May.

Mr. Tamesh who visits the Blind Society annually for the last five years said he saw the need for repairs in the building. He reached out to the members and supporters of the ICF in New York for advice. The ICF made a decision to carry out repair work of the organization building. The floor was tiled and the walls painted, enhancing the interior. The rehabilitation was completed earlier this year. Tamesh approached Minister Vickram Bharrat for assistance with the labor cost to which he immediately assented. The Society also received a much needed bus from the minister; it will be used to transport the blind members to and from the center.

Minister Bharrat applauded the humanitarian activities of the NY ICF in Guyana. In particular, the Minister said “the government appreciates the humanitarian work of local and foreign NGOs. Such activities tend to complement the ongoing work of the government to uplift living conditions of all Guyanese under the One Guyana theme”. He thanked Mr Tamesh and ICF for selecting the Society of Blind to render assistance to an organization that “works with the visually impaired to complement our programs”. He added, “it is an honor for my Ministry to assist this society and other NGOs that do great work as government continues to support worthwhile causes to further improve living conditions for all Guyanese”.

Assistance to the blind society is one among many humanitarian missions carried out by ICF over the last four decades. The Indo-Caribbean Federation is a cultural and humanitarian in the United States based in Queens and has been in existence for the past forty years. It hosts the annual Indian Arrival day celebration in New York for the past thirty nine years, the Federation also hosts an annual cricket match between Guyana and the Rest of the Caribbean.

The ICF carried out several other projects in Guyana over the years. It rehabilitated the maternity ward at Leguan last year. It carried out rehabilitation work at Port Mourant Hospital mortuary and the visitors waiting area of the hospital. It did work at the Success government school in Leguan. The Federation also annually reached out to the Orphanage in Port Mourant and the Senior Center in Essequibo.

The caretakers and caregivers of the Society of Blind showered glowing accolades on Mr Tamesh and the ICF and Minister Bharrat for their humanitarian assistance that will help make life better for the visually challenged.