Activists honoured in the fields of suicide, related issues

Aug 24, 2015 News

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“Giving back to the givers” seemed to be the theme when a non-governmental organisation held its first annual El Dorado Awards for activists in the fields of suicide and related issues.
The awards ceremony was held by Caribbean Voice, a New York based organisation which began operations in Guyana just over a year ago and saw just over a dozen persons and business entities being honoured for their contributions in the relevant fields.
Awards were giving out to members of the public service, private sector, businesses and those involved in humanitarianism, culture, community building and youth work. Awards were also given to lifetime contributors along with a special award. They were all honoured for activism, advocacy and affirmation efforts.
According to Caribbean Voice Executive Member Annan Boodram, the Caribbean Voice award was developed to give back to those persons quietly making a difference in Guyana.
“A lot of them are hesitant to step forward because the refrain was the same: ‘I do this because I want to, not because I want honours’. I think that refrain reflects all of the honourees,” he said.
However, he said, after coercion the honourees changed their minds and stepped forward to accept the awards they rightfully deserved.

He further said, “This is a unique kind of award; the one apprehension I had was if we were going to be able to make it reflect ‘Guyanese-ness’, I think we’ve done that and hopefully next year it will be even more inclusive.”
Boodram also indicated that besides handing out awards, the ceremony was established to bring the business and professional community together so that the messages can be passed on in a manner that would make it become significant stakeholders in all of the operations.
“In order for us to be able to make a significant dent in suicide prevention, in domestic abuse, in child abuse, in rape, in incest, in drug abuse and in alcoholism we do need our business and professional community to be significant stakeholders,” Boodram stressed. He added that from the responses received thus far, he is confident that the business and professional community will turn out next year to offer its full support.
Eight awards, which were named after important Guyanese symbols, landmarks and icons, were given out at the ceremony.
The categories were Lifetime (Pakaraimas Award), awarded to Simon Ashton and Raheema Rahaman; Public Service (Kyk-Over-Al Award), awarded to Dr. Suresh Narine and Red Thread Guyana; Private Sector (Canje Pheasant), awarded to Ameena Gafoor of Gafoor’s Limited; Humanitarianism (Victoria Regia Award), awarded to Syeeda Manbodh; Culture (Maticore/Queh Queh Award), awarded to the African Culture and Development Association (ACDA) and singer Terry Gajraj; Community Building (Umana Yana Award), awarded to Food for the Poor Guyana and the New Jersey Arya Samaj Humanitarian Mission; Business (Greenheart Award), awarded to Metro Office & Computer Supplies; and Youth (Arapaima Award), awarded to Pandit Deodat Persaud and radio and television personality W.R. Reaz. A special award, the Dr. Faith Harding/Lionel Peters Award, went to Bibi Ahamad, Managing Director of Caribbean Voice.
Meanwhile, despite the seriousness of the occasion, there were quite a number of moments for celebration. Performances were done by Charmaine Blackman, reigning Chutney Monarch Bill Rogers, and chutney singer Prince JP Pharos along with dances by Shellita Group and drumming by the Dubraj Tassa Group.
“Suicide is not the answer”
“This is for all the youths out there who say, ‘I love life’,” Pandit Deodat Persaud exclaimed as he received his award. “It is our birthright to make full use of our lives. It hurts me to see the amount of persons who think that suicide ends it all but the pain does not end at suicide. Suicide is not the answer.”
Persaud was one of the recipients of the Arapaima Award given for activists in the area of youth work. The young man works with a local group in Canje, Berbice that focuses on domestic violence, suicide and other issues.
In his brief acceptance speech, Persaud hailed the perseverance of those who, despite the various challenges presented in life, choose to live on. He further hailed those who worked along making similar strides but who were never recognised for their efforts.
He emphasised that all too often there are persons out there who simply need someone to listen to. Furthermore, as a Pandit, he stressed that religious work must not be limited to the temple but beyond it.
“The temple provides a heretical platform for all of us but how we live and what we do matter more at the end of the day,” he said.
Similarly, Caribbean Voice Director Yog Mahadeo said that extending a listening ear went a long way when it came to suicide.
He explained that he has been travelling around Guyana and meeting with different people from different socio-economic backgrounds.
“It brings tears to your eyes. Every time someone commits suicide, you feel like crying because there is a part of you that dies and it’s a part of you that dies for the need of a little love and care,” he said.
He stressed that sometimes a little care goes a long way.
He further emphasised that those in professional positions such as doctors need to take their jobs more seriously to let others understand that suicide is indeed never the answer.
“Your smile alone can cure them,” he added.
He too applauded the efforts of those who fight daily against relevant issues and particularly praised those who sought no publicity for their work. He further said that a collaborative and multi-sectorial approach from relevant stakeholders will significantly aid suicide prevention.
Last year, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared Guyana as the country with the highest estimated suicide for 2012. According to that year’s report, Guyana suffers 44.2 suicides for 100,000 persons per year. This figure is almost double what it was less than 10 years ago.

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