Fifty-four-year-old Raymond White of One and a Half Mile Potaro Road, Bartica, has much to be thankful for. White is the lone survivor of the 2008 Bartica Massacre, which left him, disabled.

On Thursday morning, White received a visit from Deputy-Mayor, Nageswari Kamal Lochand Prashad, who presented him with a wheelchair. His son, Michael White, accepted the gift.

The Deputy Mayor also presented a walker to Agnes Dass, 65, of Lot 127 Mongrippa Hill, Bartica. Dass was a vendor at the Bartica Municipality Market for more than two decades until she became ill with diabetes. She was unable to walk due to an infection to her instep.

The Deputy Mayor told the Department of Public Information (DPI) that her interaction with family members of White and Dass led her to assist them. She also said that special needs interventions are among the many initiatives the administration hopes to provide to residents of the Bartica.

The Mayor and Town Council collaborated with the ‘Bartica Lions Club’ and ‘Food For The Poor’ to donate the equipment. The Deputy Mayor said she is hopeful that other NGOs and relevant stakeholders will become more involved in efforts to provide to those in need.

On the night of February 17, 2008, a number of gunmen attacked the mining community of Bartica, killing twelve residents and injuring several others.

Source: DPI