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Misconception about RESLOCARE’s closure

Jun 02, 2009 Letters

Dear Editor,
Please permit me the opportunity to shed some light and give clarity to a situation on the West Bank Demerara. Most persons have more misconceptions than facts when it concerns the closing down of a once prominent NGO, on the West Bank Demerara. RESLOCARE opened its doors in 2004, to address the growing epidemic of HIV/AIDS and the persons living with and affected by this disease.

RESLOCARE’s doors closed last year for reasons most people only assume, or by false reasons given by the persons who were actually responsible for this. So to my fellow community members on the West Bank, I wish to give you the truth.
RESLOCARE’s doors were not closed due to unavailability of funds by the donor agency, the doors were closed because the donor agency got word of what was actually going on within RELOCARE and they were not happy.

Nobody knew what actually went on within RESLOCARE, because persons within RELOCARE did their utmost best to ensure that the going-ons of RESLOCARE were kept secret to hide misdeeds and dishonesty. RESLOCARE’s faith was sealed when a Board of Committee appointed a Project Coordinator. At that time that person had no skills or experience in management or HIV/AIDS projects. It was a deep sadness, when RESLOCARE’s doors were closed, since I was once a member of this organisation and saw the potential it had to make positive changes, but I believe it was a wise step.

This organisation that was once community-based, with community input and was acting with the community’s best interest at heart , became a communist ran organisation where members’ opinions and views were ignored and anyone who stood up against this were kept out of members’ meetings .
As this progressed, dominant members slowly began to leave and with the Board Members no longer interested in RESLOCARE’s outcome, the few that remained, became judge and jury for every aspect of RESLOCARE.

They proceeded to mismanage and allocated fundings that were in no way project related and eventually, the funding agents, who could not allow this type of behaviour, choose to stop funding the organisation resulting in the care and support that should be available for persons living and affected with the HIV/AIDS on the West Bank to no longer be available to them.

But who could blame them, since this was not the first time that such complaints were made to the funding agents pertaining; this was first done in 2007. They were told to appoint a proper Board of Directors to ensure transparency and to ensure that RESLOCARE conducts itself in a manner that best acts within the public’s best interest, but no one made steps to implement these changes.
I hope that one day the persons affected by HIV/AIDS on the West Bank will received the fair and proper treatment that they so need right now.

And to other NGOs it’s your responsibility to maintain transparency and to community members utilizing their services, you have the right to know just how your community-based NGO is being run, especially if it claims to be acting in your best interest. It is my hope that other NGOs read this, so that they will always let addressing community needs be their only reason for existing.
Former Member of RESLOCARE

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