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friDAY, december 5, 2014 | guyanatimesGY.com
Albouystown residents 11 graduate as Zoo Volunteers cry for compensation
A resident’s house after the flood
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s the residents of Albouystown count their losses due to the recent flooding in the area, they are hoping to receive compensation, especially since the Christmas Season has begun. Following the heavy rainfall and the breakage of the Sussex Street koker in late November, Albouystown was hit with massive flooding, much to the disgust of residents. When Guyana Times visited the area on Tuesday 2, a few residents were still recovering from the floods. One resident Indra Ramsoondar told this publication that her refrigerator was damaged by the floodwaters and she does not have money to buy a new one for Christmas. Another resident Anjalie Ramdass also said her refrigerator was damaged, noting that she had to pay some $20,000 to get it repaired. Ramdass said too that many household items were damaged, many of which she cannot afford to replace. “Everything damage, the iron, rice, flour, sugar, salt, a bucket of plantain chips, the microwave; I had to buy back one.” The distressed housewife also noted that her mattresses and chairs; all had to be thrown out because they were no longer in usable conditions. Housekeepers of Andrew Cumberbatch were cleaning the little house while blasting cheery Christmas melodies when Guyana Times visited them. They gladly stated that they managed to save the chairs and all other furniture except a small coffee table. They also pointed out to several kerosene stoves which they were grateful to have survived the flood. Moreover, most residents counted losses in food items. Joyce, a mother of three, expressed her anguish in having to get rid of all the food items she had been storing. “Everything we had to throw out because we friends tell we that it ain’t good to use anymore.” Joyce normally sells pickled fruits in front of her home, but noted she had to halt her operations because the flood destroyed the food
items. She even mentioned her children were unable to attend school due to the situation.
Unpleasant situation
The poor mother, who is suffering from arthritis, related how she and her chil-
the Christmas holidays. But not everyone was optimistic. In fact, several residents say they will not enjoy Christmas this year because of the losses they incurred. “Meen get Christmas babe. Because the flood, you know you gun put yuh piece of vinyl but the flood gun come again. Meen get Christmas. It ain’t make sense,” Joyce exasperated. Similarly, Ramdass, who was very saddened with her losses, which she said amounts to over $200,000. She said there will be no Christmas for her. Ramdass and several others are hoping that the Government provides compensation to the residents of the area like they did in 2005. “If they give we then
Anjalie Ramdass
dren had to sleep in the floodwater because there was no other alternative. “The flood was terrible. We had to sleep in the water,” the mother told Guyana Times, indicating that the floodwaters were knee high. What is more, many persons despised having to clean up the awful aftermath of the flood, noting that the incident left their homes in a filthy state. “Look all hay, look how the flood wata leff the ground here,” Ramdass said, pointing to the unpleasant stains on her concrete walkway. Also, for Ramsoondar, the cleanup process lasted days, which was most fatiguing for her and her family. “Me son throw out all the mat and they wash them and put them on the roof top and lay them to dry. And then my son geh water and throw all ova with disinfectant and he wash with the broom, corner to corner. We left it to dry a few days,” Ramsoondar stated. However, she still had to clean her yard again, which was filled with waste materials and other debris. Many residents tried to stay in good cheers and were hopeful for good weather for
that’s good, but if they ain’t give we, what can I do,” Ramsoondar stated.
Some of the volunteers posing for a photo after their simple graduation ceremony at the Nature School, Guyana Zoological Park (Three Parks Initiative photo) By Devina Samaroo
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he Guyana Zoological Park will soon be flocked with 11 eager and enthusiastic volunteers who recently graduated from the Zoo Volunteer Education Programme on November 29. The volunteers, all girls, will be expected to give back at least 50 hours of their service to the zoo. Responsibilities include acting as tour guides and educating the visiting public about the various animals in the zoo. This is a great feature because it enhances the public’s experience by leaving visitors more informed after an exciting trip there. They will also be tasked with making sure persons do not mistreat the animals. Additionally, they will participate in any other activities organised by the zoological park. “I think that programmes like that of the Zoo Volunteer Education Course should be exposed to a wider range of young people. For example, I’ve seen little boys throwing stones at stray animals and I think if they could be taken to the soon-
to-be-opened petting zoo or go through a course like this one, this could help to re-educate attitudes of young people towards animals,” Zoo Volunteer Sarina Kawall said. Other benefits of being a volunteer include participating in animal feeding, snake handling and the summer school programme. The class was trained by an officer of the Protected Areas Commission (PAC) Annalise Bayney and lasted for some 15 weeks. The girls learnt astounding facts about animals, both within the zoo and within Guyana and about their endangered status, their habitats, their social structure, feeding patterns, and much more. “The Harpy Eagle in the zoo had been there since 1952, being the oldest harpy eagle in captivity,” one of the volunteers related to Guyana Times. The volunteer, the first batch in eight years, are Natasha Sawh, Sarina Kawall, Daymanie Persaud, Anuja Singh, Olanna Bacchus, Sophia Ally, Leisa Rampersaud, Gabriela Fernandes, Natalie Hanley,
Natecia Garraway and Shebiki Jeffery. They were all elated to be a part of the Zoo Volunteer Programme and expressed their eagerness to begin their journey with the Guyana Zoo. “I’ve always been interested in conservation, but having gone through this course, I’m now positive that I’d like to eventually major in wildlife conservation,” said Sarina Kawall. Also speaking with Guyana Times was Natasha Sawh, who shared her experience from the course. “Over the past 15 weeks, I have gained so much knowledge about the Guyana Zoo. I think the most important aspect of this course is to promote the endangered species and treatment of these species to the public. We encourage our patrons to be a part of the solution and not the problem. It also helped me to boost my selfconfidence and increase my public speaking skills.” Persons desirous of becoming Zoo Volunteers can make contact with Annalise Bayney at annaliseb.pac@ gmail.com.
Win a motorcycle for the New Year! – no purchase necessary
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he new Sharon’s Mall, located at the corner of Charlotte and King Streets officially launched its Christmas Promotion on Wednesday 3, where anyone can simply visit the mall for a chance to win the grand prize of a unisex Jialing Trip Motorcycle. All persons need to do is visit the mall and they will receive a free coupon as an appreciation for their visit. However, if they make purchases, they are then entitled to an extra coupon, which increases their chances of winning the motorcycle. Additionally, 10 “attractive” consolation prizes will be distributed to lucky visitors and customers. The promotion will run through December and will have a grand drawing on December 31. In addition to this promotion, the mall’s occupants will have their special discounts and promotions for the Christmas holidays. The mall was built for a total of 30 spaces to be rented, but so far, only 26 are occupied. General Manager of the mall Yonell Hernandez noted that they only had nine tenants when the building was officially opened in 2001. Now, with the conversion to a mul-
Sharon’s Mall located on Charlotte and King Streets
tiplex mall, 17 new tenants came on. In 2008, a decision was made to extend the building to five floors to create a mall. Construction began in April 2013 and is expected to be finished in April 2015. While the mall is not entirely complete, it is open for business with many tenants offering a variety of goods, from clothing to makeup to salons to electronics and so much more.
The first and second floor is dedicated to the mall, the third and fourth will be the office complex and the fifth floor, often referred to as the balcony, will be the “Deck for Food Court”. Moreover, the officials of the mall expressed hope of attracting international food franchises. The business, registered as Sharon’s Building & Incorporated, is family owned and managed and operated by Doris Mahadeo.