How to spend $1B in Lotto funds
WHAT THE PEOPLE
SAY ABOUT
The Guyana Lottery Company has raised over $1 billion for the financing of social projects in Guyana through the National Lotteries Commission. The money was raised from scratch, lotto and 3-D tickets. The scratch games began in 1996 and the lotto in 1997. In October 1997, views canvassed on the same subject revealed that persons felt the funds should be spent on the development of sports, the construction of a stadium, health facilities, senior citizens' homes and homes for street children. Two years later, we asked the man/woman-in-the-street to share their views on how the $1B in funds raised so far should be spent: David Singh - University of Guyana student: `I think that funds should be concentrated on developing and implementing youth programmes including socio-economic ventures for the idle and homeless youths and sports. Because of the decline in educational standards programmes should be focused on getting youths equipped with skills with which to help themselves and in the process aid in the development of the country. In addition, sporting programmes with community bias must be developed countrywide. Funds must be spent on coaching programmes. Because our young people are not involved in meaningful recreational activities, too many are getting involved in criminal activities.' Lawrence Fanfair - photographer: `Money should be spent on the establishment of a school of etiquette where young men and women could learn social graces. Money should also be spent in every aspect in developing sporting disciplines. Coaching programmes especially in cricket and football should be a priority. Funds should be spent on community grounds and on developing community gyms. Karate is probably the only sport which brings glory to Guyana. Funds should also be put aside for teams representing the country outside Guyana. Teams going out experience a lot of difficulty in acquiring funds from government. Funds are needed in every sector of the society at present for both the development of both physical and social infrastructure. Nevertheless, I feel that the money should go to the development of youth and sports. These are two areas I feel that have suffered from neglect in recent years.' Sherry Kumar - student: `Funds should be put aside to deal with disaster preparedness on a more massive scale than is really in place at the moment. We have never experienced disasters as other countries have, but we should be prepared. My reason is because with the Mahaica and Mahaicony floods just a few years ago the country was not prepared for what happened. Right now many people have not recovered from that flood but because the effects are not in the news it appears as though all is well. The supply of potable water is another issue that needs to be looked at in country areas as well as the introduction of Information Technology in schools outside Georgetown. Mahaicony Secondary has been doing well in recent years and this school really should get some help in this respect. Summer programmes with funding from the lottery revenue should also be put in place for low achievers.' Phillip Wiles - HIV/AIDS educator: `Emphasis should be on youth development and education. In spite of the huge budgetary allocation to education I think that funds should be made available for programmes educating youths about issues such as family life education, drug abuse, HIV/AIDS among other issues. This will help to reduce some of the social ills the country is experiencing. Young people in particular will know how to go about solving problems. Regardless of the advance in technology, unless our human resources are developed and cared for our society would be meaningless.' Edmund Forde - refrigeration technician: `The funds should not be used on one project alone but on various social projects. One area I would like some funds to go to is to community policing. Groups countrywide need a boost to help in keeping the country's crime level down. Intelligence gathering in community policing is essential, but to get this going there would be need for training. I think the lotto funds here could be helpful. There is need also to improve the lot of street children and the destitute. Money should be used to build half-way homes to help in this cause.' Kevin Haywood - student: `People in the country areas are punishing terribly for potable water. So some funds could be spent in this sector. Young people need a lot of guidance today because of all the distractions and peer pressure they face. Funds should go to interest groups to carry out their programmes in the various areas for which they were established. This will include involving young people in subjects such as drug and alcohol abuse, teenage pregnancy, HIV/AIDS etc. Sports also needs a boost and once again I think that all young people need to get actively involved in sports. Lawn tennis is becoming popular in Guyana and it should be introduced countrywide.' Sahadeo Seeram - University of Guyana student: `Funds should be spent on more programmes for youth, especially sports. Youths are not getting the opportunities to be creative because there are few programmes for the out-of-school youth. Even at the school level certain sporting activities are only for the rich who can afford to join clubs and purchase their own sports equipment for games such as lawn tennis, squash and badminton. I do not think that the money should be spent on one project such as a stadium. There is need to spot talent countrywide. With the exception of cricket, most athletes in other disciplines are from Georgetown. Because we have not been able to spot and develop our sporting talent we cannot get good results in international competitions.' Yvette Joseph - self-employed: `Attention should be placed on needy children, the homeless and getting mental patients off the streets. Street children and homeless people are treated less than human, but they have rights. Half-way homes should be built for the destitute with programmes in place to help to counsel them and integrate them back into the wider society. The mental hospital at Fort Canje in Berbice should also be rehabilitated and equipped so that patients could be cared for. At Fort Canje, too, a centre for drug rehabilitation should be established for those who are addicted to drugs and need to break the habit.' Razeika Akram - teacher: `More focus should be placed on education, not so much at the formal level but at the informal level. There is need for parenting education and for helping those who did not make use of the opportunity because of socio-economic reasons. While there is need to get street children and street families off the street by building half-way homes to meet their immediate needs, I think that programmes should be put in place to help them to help themselves. I think that funds should be spent on training people as counsellors and managers to manage the street people. They will also be in a position to counsel other potential street people so that they too will stay off the streets. I think it is best that the funds are spent on one massive project and it is done properly.' Harry Hamid - farmer/self-employed: `The focus should be on sports and the development of community sports grounds. For instance, right now the 'Red Ground' at Timehri needs to be developed. Though the GDF takes care of it, it is really the community's ground. Countrywide, we need sporting facilities and equipment. If the money is spent on a stadium mainly Georgetown will benefit. Apart from cricket all the other sporting disciplines need a boost. I would be proud to see on television Guyanese athletes really putting this country on the map. We can use sports to bring glory to this nation.' 
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