Bethany which means ‘House of Figs’ is an Indigenous village that was established in 1969. It is in administrative region 2, about 8 km up the Supenaam Creek. For 2023, Bathany’s 545 residents, most of whom are Arawak and Carib descendants, received G$ 24,000,000 of Guyana’s carbon credits revenue under the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030. Bethany is a sustainable logging and farming village. As such, the villagers collectively decided to use most of their allocation to bolster their main economic activity (sustainable logging). The graph below shows Bethany’s 4 investment areas. 
On 19 February 2023, the residents of Bethany met and discussed projects that would contribute to the sustainable development of their village. They collectively decided on the 5 projects detailed below.
Over G$ 15 million was utilised to increase the efficiency and reduce the cost of sustainable logging in Bethany. This included the acquisition of a powerful, yet fuel-efficient tractor and trailer that decreases the number of trips per load by two-thirds or 66% while burning less fossil fuel and emitting less Greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The village also built a garage to safeguard these 2 assets.
Bethany recognizes that a prosperous future depends largely upon youths and that education is critical for the success of children. As such, residents channelled G$ 3 million into a boat, to reliably transport students between their homes and schools.
Both the villagers and visitors of Bethany now enjoy additional modern lavatory facilities due to the ≈ G$ 2 million investment to construct, tile, paint, and outfit a sanitary block with three individual compartments.
“We are benefitting big time from the LCDS. The LCDS money made it possible for us to buy a brand-new tractor. Because of its efficiency and capability, this tractor enables its main users to save money and earn more income for their families. Anyone who needs large or heavy items transported can benefit from this tractor. Persons use it to transport goods at a low cost. The garage is also beneficial as the machine can be parked, secured, protected from the elements, and maintained in comfort” –
Mr Oswal Dyer, Tractor Operator
“Me and many others did not have the opportunity to receive a formal education, so I am very grateful that the children will have a boat to take them to school and bring them back home. Not only my children, but every student would benefit” – Mr Roy Marslow, Resident
“I am very happy about the Sanitary Block project. I hope that we will continue to receive money from the carbon credits for our development” – Ms Alisa Wilson, Resident
Bethany needed to reallocate their 2023 LCDS funds after the quotations received for some of the projects exceeded the amounts anticipated by the village. Additionally, the village experienced lags with the procurement of certain building materials for the sanitary block and the customisation of the tractor’s trailer. Nonetheless, the village council and the LCDS management committee overcame those challenges with ease to expeditiously deliver on all the projects. They credit vigilant monitoring for their success.
Bethany’s Toshao and the Vice-chairperson of the National Toshaos’ Council (NTC) is thankful for the development taking place in her village and in all Indigenous villages across the country. She noted that revenue generated from the operation of their tractor & trailer is already being used to fund additional development in her village, such as a second boat for primary school students. Bethany finalised its LCDS projects for 2024 and eagerly awaits disbursement.
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