The Guyana Foundation had successful year

Jan 22, 2018 News

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Last year was one of resounding success for The Guyana Foundation.
Through local and international partnership, the foundation, last year, carried out several charitable works across the country.
The foundation hosted an after-school mentorship and homework assistance for students of Zorg-en-Vlygt and Queenstown on the Essequibo Coast. Sixty-eight students were tutored through this programme, mainly in the areas of literacy and numeracy. Donations of clothing, food and hygiene products were made to settlements up the Pomeroon River and villages on the East Coast of Demerara, such as Breezy Point aback of Buxton. Dialogue was also held with religious groups, governmental agencies, non-government organizations. Outreaches were held in various communities on the Essequibo Coast, with information being disseminated on mental health and other social issues. Holistic wellness was promoted with mothers of the adolescent pre-natal clinic at Charity and Dartmouth Health Centres. Some of these sessions were partnered with the Ministry of Social Protection, mostly in the Lower and Upper Pomeroon River.
According to Supriya Singh-Bodden, CCH, founder of The Guyana Foundation, some of its other works included, “workshops on women’s empowerment in Zorg-en-Vlygt and Bartica reaching a total of 47 persons. Two mental health workshops were held with 52 cadets of the Richard Fickal Police College on how to understand the signs of suicidal ideation. “Activities on Child Sexual Abuse Awareness in collaboration with the Childcare and Protection Agency, outreaches to the elderly and disabled individuals, providing psychosocial, nutritional and health counseling and physiotherapy. Activities to honor the Elderly during the month of October, 2017 in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Protection and talks to members of the disabled community in recognition of disability week.”
The Guyana Foundation was also instrumental in the formation of a Kids Club to assist young children to learn the importance of hygiene and expressive art to unlock mental health issues. Through this, each child was given the opportunity to express his/her feelings; 32 children participated in this programme.
Further, a 10-day summer camp was held for children between the ages of 12-18 and others between six and 11. A total of 84 children attended.
“Fundraising activities on the Essequibo coast where the Scotia bank logo was used as a contributor to our work. And a weekly television programme on RCA TV Channel 8 in order to reach out to communities with information on mental health and other social issues.”

Then there was the historic signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Guyana Foundation and the University Of Medical Sciences Of Ciego De Avila in Cuba for conferences to be held annually dealing with mental health issues. The first conference was held in 2016.
“The University will train mental health counsellors we select from villages in Region Two where we work. This will be done gratis except the air travel to Cuba for those selected. There is a shortage of mental health professionals in Guyana where only five Psychiatrists are available to service the entire population. The terrain is vast and, therefore, many are without access to mental health support,” revealed Singh-Bodden.
Also, 92 persons graduated from the areas of catering, cosmetology, fabric designing, electrical installation, tailoring, dress making and computer repairs and maintenance; mental health workshops were held with 75 care providers from the Essequibo Coast, Pomeroon River and Capoey Mashabo, Mainstay and Tapakuma Lakes and Bethany.
To date, the foundation’s Managing Director of the Sunrise Center, Mrs. Miriam Roberts-Hinds has been instrumental in her effort to counsel and assist many victims of attempted suicide, domestic violence and various forms of abuse, that number being 163 persons.
The Guyana Foundation has established a craft shop, “Hand Made With Love”, in the Cayman Islands in order to assist with funding for some of its projects. The Wai Wai people all the way in Region #9, with more orders expected soon has completed the first order of craft.
The activities of the Guyana Foundation have received wide press coverage not only locally but internationally.
According to Singh-Bodden, “The (British Broadcasting Corporation) BBC recently visited to do a documentary. Aljazeera invited us on a panel discussion on suicide in Guyana. The Economist UK published an article on our work. The World Weekly published an article on suicide highlighting our efforts. Prensa Latina Cuba, released a video on our submission to the last conference on suicide in Guyana.”
She continued, “Mr. Haimraj Hamandeo, our Senior Counselor at the Sunrise Center was invited to attend the BABCP Annual Conference on Mental Health in the United Kingdom, (see link http://www.babcp.com/files/CBT-Today/cbt-today-september-2017.pdf), in July 2017, whereby our participation was publicized in the CBT Today, the official magazine of the British Association for Behavioral & Cognitive Psychotherapies.”

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