As part of its mandate to assist the poor and vulnerable, the Men On a Mission (MOM) group, which is the brainchild of President Irfaan Ali plans to use a percentage of its $500M government subvention to construct a minimum of 50 homes, even as it works to address the sore issues of gender-based violence and unemployment within the society.

 Chief-of-Staff of the Guyana Defence Force, and Chairman of Men on Mission, Brigadier Godfrey Bess made the disclosure today as he unveiled the mission’s plans for 2023 during a press conference at the Defence Force’s Headquarters, Camp Ayangana.

According to the Chief-of-Staff, the plan to construct a minimum of 50 homes is in keeping with the instructions of President Irfaan Ali, who met with the group last evening to discuss and approve the plan.

The homes, he said, will go towards the vulnerable, elderly, single parents, persons with disabilities and persons who are victims of natural disasters. However, Brigadier Bess, was keen on noting that established criteria will guide the selection process to ensure that the most vulnerable within society benefit from the construction of these homes.

“We request that, as much as possible, that a formal request is made through the Chief-of-Staff, the Commissioner of Police, Regional Chairman or any member of the National Committees. If they are asking for homes to be built, we ask for proof of ownership for the land the person is building on, also Birth Certificate and at least one other form of identification. We ask, if they had an existing building and its in a deplorable state, we ask for photographs, internal and external, and recommendations from the persons within the community,” he explained.

Already for 2023, the Mission has received 70 applications for housing solutions, of which 26 have been categorized as essential. The others are grouped as important and desirable.  

The Mission, in 2022, constructed more than 40 homes, however, amid concerns over the disparities in costs and designs, it will be moving to design a model. The cost per unit, however, has not been determined thus far.

“The National Committee, we have established a subcommittee that has worked on that. We actually have an idea what we are looking for but it has not yet been approved by our committee. Soon as that is approved, we will make it available to the public. But we have seen the need and the importance of having a design structure for these homes,” the Chief-of-Staff explained.

Weighing in on the issue, Men on Mission Communications’ Specialist, Alex Graham said since its launch last October, the Mission has received tremendous support particularly from the private sector, however, at the time, it lacked structure.

“That help was needed and received long before all of the structures were really ready. So that different individuals and companies and supporters provided different kinds of solutions, and that is why in the initial role out, you might see housing solutions that differ significantly. The differences are really due to the overwhelming support that was spontaneous across the country,” Mr Graham said.

Both the Chief-of-Staff and Mr Graham assured that steps are being taken to ensure equity not only in distribution of the houses, but with regards to their quality and durability.

The Mission’s Programme for 2023 will focus on five (5) key areas: male behaviour change through character building, men’s health, environmental transformation, capacity building for emergency relief efforts and rehabilitation.

In keeping with the focus areas, MOM will continue to work with men and boys across the country to address the underlying issues affecting them in an effort to bring about lasting change.

“Under this area of focus, MOM will mount a series of sessions called Stages of Hope. On the Stages of Hope across the country, various influential personalities in areas such as sports, entertainment, academia, medicine, to name some, will be speaking to men and boys in the communities about how to navigate the rocky waters of life, how to effectively do conflict resolution, provide career guidance while fostering that much needed male responsibility,” the Head of the Mission explained.

Under the programme, men will be exposed to a series of health-related services even as they pay keen attention to their environment. The Mission will also provide emergency relief to persons affected by natural disasters and rehabilitate and construct shelters as the need arises.

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