Orealla eyes major benefits from six internet hotspots

The village of Orealla, in the easternmost part of Berbice, now has six internet hotspots.

These hotspots are located in the community benab, the community ICT hub, the Police station, the health centre and the school building, the Ministry of Public Telecommunications said in a statement.

Minister Cathy Hughes and Floyd Levi, head of the National Data Management Authority, commissioned the hotspots on Wednesday.

The benefits for every single resident are many, Minister Hughes pointed out, as she urged the residents to make full use of their connectivity.

Dr.Lerone Henry of the Orealla Health Centre said that the internet connectivity will be of great service to the community.

“For the first time in history, doctors and healthcare providers at the Orealla Heath Centre now have direct video communication with doctors and specialists at Central Hospitals such as the New Amsterdam and other Regional hospitals as well as the Georgetown Public Hospital,” he stated.

Access to the Internet, he said, greatly improves their ability to conduct diagnoses with direct assistance from specialists national and international, and in real time  He also pointed out that he would no longer have to make the two-hour journey up the river to the coast for consultations on difficult cases.

With internet at the Police station, officers would be able to connect directly and in real time with central and divisional Police stations and outposts.

While commissioning the Orealla Community ICT hub, Minister Hughes said that the hub will serve as the gateway for students and teachers to the world of information.

Ten (10) laptop computers were installed there, all connected to the Internet and loaded with most of the textbooks used by the Ministry of Education.  This, she said, is a tremendous help to parents who would not have to purchase these books in hard copy at great cost.

Toshao of Orealla, Carl Peneux, expressed the residents’ appreciation for this initiative of the Public Telecommunications Ministry.

He stated that this was a history-making occasion because Orealla had remained cut off from national activities and benefits for some decades.  He outlined one more major benefit – the village council’s plans to boost their visibility to the world’s tourists and show off their attractive culture which includes indigenous handicraft.

While expressing their appreciation, the Minister was told that the residents had already begun to earn revenue from the online sale of two (2) intricately indigenous hammocks woven by the Women Group of Orealla.

Before leaving, Minister Hughes donated five new Tablets to five crucial community groups in the village including the Women’s Group, the Farmers Group, the Sports and Fisheries Groups.