“I’m always happy to be associated with any project that will be beneficial to my Guyanese people,” said Nicolette Henry, Minister of Education as she affixed her signature to the exercise NEW Horizon 2019 Implementation Agreement between the United States Security Cooperation office, the Guyana Defence Force, and several Government Ministries in the Boardroom of the Ministry of Education.
This marks the third sojourn for the mission to Guyana to execute humanitarian, engineering and medical activities and Henry noted that aside from helping Guyanese this will also assist the US Military even as they engage in benevolent work to garner the necessary practice in their various fields.
The New Horizon Project of Guyana is a humanitarian effort that covers Medical and Engineering interventions/activities that incorporates three community centres as well as a women’s Health Centre which will also include the execution of medical outreaches within the Linden community and its surrounding villages in Region 10 as well as in New Amsterdam, Region 6. The Ministry of Education is providing support for the success of the activity by providing spaces and outreaches.
According to US Military Captain Solomon Bannister, attached to the US Embassy, the engineering related construction projects commenced in February while the actual exercise is scheduled to begin in May through August.
At present, there are 65 ranks from both the US and Guyana Military working on the project.
The New Horizon is considered as the largest Humanitarian and Civic exercise in the Western Hemisphere, and this year it will take place in Guyana. The exercise has been in the planning stage for more than a year with comprehensive involvement from the Ministry of Education as well as other stakeholders.
The signing of the agreement formalises the careful negotiation and planning process that has taken place over the period and it is a crucial part of the overall preparatory process.
“This is important and I want to thank all stakeholders for the work being done in Guyana by the US Government in collaboration with Guyanese and I look forward to hearing good things coming from the project and certainly I know that it will benefit lots of Guyanese,” said Minister Henry.
New Horizon previously completed missions in Guyana in 2004 and 2009.
(Ministry of Education press release)
