One Month Left in Guyana



Yes I am still in Guyana, even though it has been a couple of months since I updated my blog. I am heading back to Canada on March 17th and will spend a couple of weeks in Ontario visiting family before I drive back to the Island.

I have had lots of journeys, interesting work and met some of the best people since my last post. I have posted some of my photos on Facebook if you are interested. https://www.facebook.com/jan.link.127

My role with Cuso Guyana has been to work with existing and potential partners that provide programs for youth in three areas; Employment & Entrepreneurship, Participation and Voice and Access to Justice. Before going home I really want to share with you some of the activities I have been doing with a variety of organizations and the difference they make in Guyana.

Caribbean Team

Cuso International's work is done through many passionate and caring volunteers who all need to raise $2000.00 each. For every $2000.00 a volunteer raises, CIDA contributes $9,000 so we can continue to provide volunteers to organizations such as the ones that I described below.
I too have to raise some money so if you are interested in helping me I have attached the link to my fundraising page.  http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=2052027&langPref=en-CA

Women Across Differences - https://www.facebook.com/WomenAcrossDifferences
WAD is a national network of women committed to serve individual and vulnerable groups through education, empowerment and advocacy to promote social change. I introduced you to WAD in my last blog, Cassy and I have continued to work with them doing some strategic planning and financial management.

Youth Challenge Guyana http://ycgi.org/
Another amazing organization that provides programs and services in a number of regions in Guyana. YCG has been running an National Volunteer Teachers Program with the support of VSO/CUSO for several years, they have placed over 100 volunteer teachers in remote areas of Guyana. They also have an International Volunteers Program for youth that provides volunteers from across the world with the opportunity to build friendships, enjoy an enriching travel experience, all while working on health, education and leadership projects in the community.
VCG employees and volunteers offer Voluntary counselling and Testing (VCT) for HIV to thousands of Guyanese in un-served and underserved communities through its mobile testing facility.

New Opportunity Corps functions primarily for adolescent offenders between the ages of 10 and 18 sent by the Courts for a period of training and social rehabilitation. The maximum time that can be spent there is 3 years, the minimum being 1 year. Unfortunately 60% of youth in this facility have been convicted of Wandering:  “If any child is found habitually wandering or not under proper control or in the company of rogues, vagabonds, disorderly persons… he may be taken into custody by an attendance officer or other authorized person, or by any police constable authorized by the Chief Education Officer to detain children so found, until a complaint can be preferred against him and he can be brought before a magistrate.” Staff at the facility say that truancy and wandering is more often than not the result of neglect and/or other forms of child abuse by caregivers, this is one of the reasons why it is important for Guyana to implement restorative justice programs for the youth.

This facility is located off the Essequibo River so we need to travel to work on one of these boats. Very exciting especially when the tide is high; can adults get "shaking brain syndrome" ?








Kuru Kuru Training Centre offers one-year residential training and facilities for youths between the ages of 16 and 25. The youth come for various regions in Guyana and learn skills such as Business, Carpentry, Electrical Installation, Joinery, Masonry, Motor Mechanics, Plumbing and Garment Construction.

KKTC Administrator Shabbir Ali, Culture, Youth and Sport Ministry Permanent Secretary Alfred King, KKTC top student Narell Henry, Culture, Youth and Sport Minister Dr Frank Anthony and Assistant Youth Director Devanand Ramdatt with teachers and the 2013 batch of graduates

Volunteer Youth Corps http://www.vycguyana.net/

This organization serves youth in their local neighbourhood by offering an after school Math & Science Program and Big Brothers & Big Sisters. They also offer a variety of skill building programs for young men & women to help them get jobs and start their own business. This year two other Cuso volunteers are building a Career Development Program for high schools in Georgetown and a Job Bank.  As in other organizations we did the organizational and financial assessment along with facilitating a strategic planning session with all staff and some financial management training. Deaf Guyana https://www.facebook.com/deaf.Guyana This organization contacted Cuso for a volunteer interested in assisting them with some organizational challenges. I decided to help them out in my spare time and have not regretted that decision at all. At DAG their vision is that 'Members of the Deaf community play a positive and integral role in national development' and their Mission 'To help deaf youths achieve their full potential and to improve the socioeconomic well-being of members of the Deaf community.' Since meeting these wonderful people I have visited and met with teachers at a few schools where  the Deaf and mentally challenged students attend classes. They have a huge challenge to help the youth achieve their full potential; currently many of the teachers working with these students are learning the American Sign Language at the same time as their students and they have very little  access to teaching resources, if any! Through DAG they get the youth involved in sporting and cultural activities and in some cases drumming lessons which the children love!

Another major activity is their annual theatre event at the National Cultural Centre.

Guyana Youth Business Trust  http://www.youthbusiness.biz/ The Guyana Youth Business Trust (GYBT) was  established in Feb 2000 with the objective of increasing economic opportunities for young people (aged 18-35yrs) interested in becoming entrepreneurs but who cannot access conventional financing. GYBT provides loans for starting small business without collateral or guarantees. To improve the chances of success of its entrepreneurs, GYBT provides mentoring, business advice and training in areas of entrepreneurship development, record keeping and marketing.  July 2013 group of new entrepreneurs

Quality Rice Co-operative Through a personal connection I had the opportunity to assist a group of rice farmers on the East Coast develop an action plan to work with a local rice mill.. I had a great time meeting and working with these farmers; I was able to tour the rice mill, learn about processing rice and then after working hard we went to one of their homes for curry duck, roti, channa and a fresh fruit salad. Guyana Small Business Bureau - We have just started our assessment of the Small Business Bureau and expecting to finish in a couple of weeks. In between I am travelling to Suriname for a few days with two other volunteers, I am very excited to learn more about Suriname and I am definitely looking forward to a few days relaxation! Jan

A peek inside a very special NGO in Guyana

Women across Differences 

I am strong

I can take care of myself

I can reach out to others

I know when to let go 

My assignment in Guyana as an Organizational Development Adviser has led me into a variety of NGO’s and Ministries that provide services and programs that contribute to the social and economic empowerment of youth in the Guyana. 

Our team is to analyse the current situation for an organization based on 4 broad areas; External Environment; Motivation; Technical Capacity, Performance and to conduct a Baseline Study. The final report will provide recommendations and implications for Cuso and can also serve as an internal management tool for a variety of purposes such as a planning document, identifying areas for improvement and identify training & capacity needs.

So enough of the corporate speak and let me introduce you to one very special organization! There are more to come on a future blog.

Women across Differences (WAD) was established in 1996 as a group of women from a variety of backgrounds that wanted to advocate for change on behalf of women in Guyana. Members of WAD participate in a variety of national consultations on social and economic issues such as the National Poverty Reduction Strategy, Domestic Violence, the National Commission on the Family and the Guyana Youth Policy.

Over the years, WAD has been able to facilitate the self- development of its members through the delivery of several training programs; Personal development (including gender socialization), Workers Rights, Community Facilitation, Leadership Development, Gender Based Violence and others.

In 2008 WAD partnered with United Nations Population Fund to implement a pilot project for adolescent mothers in Guyana to work towards reducing unplanned pregnancies among adolescent mothers. In 2010 there were 2,840 births (21% of the total births) were among girls aged 15-19, and 143 of those births were among girls under 15 years.  A study conducted during the period of 2009-2012 indicated that 22% of these young girls were raped and 60% of respondents disclosed that their age of sexual initiation started at 12 or younger.

The UNFPA – commissioned a study entitled "The Plight of Adolescent Mothers" below is a link to the study, this report highlights the voices of 23 young adolescent mothers. If you have some time read their stories, it is a complex situation and not easily solved.

http://caribbean.unfpa.org/webdav/site/caribbean/shared/publications/2012/Guyana/Teenage%20MothersOctober2012.pdf

I have loved meeting the women involved with this organization; from the staff, members, young mothers, graduates of the program and volunteers they are passionate and committed to supporting each other and adolescent mothers in Guyana. One evening I was doing a focus group at one of their monthly membership meetings and I asked why their work is important? 

One member said: "It is important for me as a parent. They reached out to my daughter to comfort her as a teenage mother and be an outsider that understands. I have learnt that as a parent I didn't reach out before, once I saw the difference that WAD made for my daughter I wanted to join.  I want to help others as WAD helped my daughter." Another woman said " I was a teen age Mother I know how ashamed and alone you feel, with no one to help you."

The other week I travelled to a village outside of Georgetown to meet with another group of young mothers at a local health clinic. While we were waiting a 13 year old girl arrived with her Auntie because of stomach pains, while meeting with the nurse she disclosed that a male relative had been sexually assaulting her the past month. She was living with her Grandmother because her Mother didn't want to or couldn't look after this daughter anymore. She would not say who the man was but apparently he was providing financial support for the grandmother who was also looking after 4 other grandchildren. Clonel the Coordinator for WAD interviewed the girl and called Child Protective Services but three hours later they had still not arrived. The Doctor although required by law refused to get involved and report the incident to the police or Child Protective Services. Shortly after the Grandmother arrived and said the girl was lying, of course the reality is within the culture these are private matters to be dealt with at home and this man was a source of financial support to a family in a difficult situation. Finally with no support from the Doctor or Child Protective Services and the Grandmother’s refusal to report the incident or let he young girl be accompanied to a shelter with Clonel she had to return home with the Grandmother. 

We will not forget the look on her face when she turned around to say goodbye as she walked down the road with her Grandmother & Auntie. We were very worried about what would happen to the young girl that night especially if she would be safe! We learnt the next day that Clonel had taken the family's information and immediately contacted the head of Child Protective Services when we returned to town. They contacted the Grandmother to bring the girl into Georgetown; the young girl insisted that she wanted to be brought into town so by the next day she was under the custody of CPS's.

We will never know whether the perpetrator will be dealt with or if she will return home but regardless that young girl is courageous and a survivor!

I want to mention that despite the fact that the staff are paid very low wages, the working conditions are less than ideal and they receive no funding from the government they continue to have a positive and in some cases a profound impact on some of these adolescent mothers.

In a focus group, six of the girls had finished their CXC's on their own (often they cannot return to their high school), have jobs even though the pay is small, and more importantly they believe they are not alone, have more self-esteem and are strong."

Trip to visit Auntie at her farm near Parika

Well finally I am back to updating my blog, there has been lots of work, travel, events and great food since my last update. We just got access to Internet so I hope you will enjoy some of my reflections and pictures as much as I have enjoyed living in Guyana. 

A few weeks ago we traveled with Ravi & Melissa, volunteers from Victoria, BC to visit Ravi's Auntie. ( I still don't know her name). Ravi was born in Guyana but as many other thousands of Guyanese people his family moved to Canada for more opportunities. Auntie is a divorced women of two adult children, she runs her own farm on 10 acres, travels to Georgetown every day (on a mini bus 1 hour each way) with fruit from her farm to work at the Staboerk Market, then returns home to look after her house and family. That is her typical day but right now Auntie also has recurrence of breast cancer, she recently had a mastectomy and is undergoing radiation in the mornings before she starts working at the market. It was an humbling but fun experience to spend time with such a hard working, courageous and strong woman. 

We traveled to Parika in a mini bus and then followed a side road for quite awhile to a community along the river called St Lawrence, that is where her home and farm is located. When we arrived we were treated to freshly made chow mein and fresh pineapple juice. I thought that was lunch but she was just getting started! 

Her house is also on stilts and underneath the living quarters was an small kitchen and sitting area with hammocks, chairs, lots of kids, dogs and a parrot. Pictures below. I followed her into the kitchen and watched as she made curry chicken in this magnificent cast iron pot in the shape of a bowl on a gas burner. Next we learnt how to make Green Mango Achar, warning VERY HOT and very popular with the locals.

Following lunch the kids in the neighbourhood took us for a walk to the creek, by the time we found our way through the fields and forest in the hot afternoon sun, our feet were chewed up by the most annoying ants in the world and I was beyond hot & sticky. Without thinking I slipped off my sandals and jumped into the creek after the kids, clothes and all! As soon as my feet landed on the bottom of the murky creek I sunk up to my ankles in mud. Ugh !  Thank goodness there were were no pictures from that mini adventure, my clothes were soaked and I was covered in mud from head to toe after trying to scramble out of the creek and climb up the bank.

To end an amazing visit we followed Auntie through the fields, across another river and through the rain forest to get to her farm. Again, in sandals and shorts the ants and mosquitoes feasted on their own human buffet. 

 Lesson for next adventure: BRING SHOES IN KIT BAG

mini bus to Parika 

Auntie's House 

Auntie

Hammock under sitting area 

 

Mixing the curry 

Veggie's for the Chow Mein 

Green Mangoes

Freshly made red hot pepper sauce

Green Mango Achar 

Living Room

Trekking to the farm 

Hot Pepper Plants

Auntie trimming new lime trees

Freshly cut sugar cane snack

Katahar 

Next update:  Diwali in Guyana 

Send people, not aid money.

Send people, not aid money.

My House on Stilts

After staying a few weeks in the Rima Guest House in Georgetown Cheryl and I have now moved into our home on stilts.

We are located about 6 km East of Georgetown and not too far from the Atlantic Ocean. The coastline is protected by a sea wall which was built by the Dutch many years ago to protect Georgetown from flooding.

Sea wall on a nice day

We also have a beautiful yard with Guava, Star Fruit and Mango trees.

I am quite confident that we are secure in our home, there is a steel gate with a padlock at the front and rear entrance and every door and window have steel bars. It takes me four keys and at least 5 minutes to either leave or enter the house!
Cheryl from Nova Scotia is my roommate and she is volunteering at Caricom as a Gender Adviser for one year. We get along famously, share similar interests and she is a great cook!

Cheryl
 

Getting to work in the morning is a learning experience. I take mini bus 44 into town but even at 7:30 in the morning they are full; after a few days I am starting to catch on to the local tricks. Get on the bus going the wrong way and within a few minutes it starts to fill up and then they turn around and go back into town. As in Ghana I seem to be the only " white" person travelling with local transport unless of course I am travelling with the other volunteers.

 


A little bit about the Sea Wall

The Sea Wall is a 280 mile seawall that runs along much of Guyana's coastline, and all of the coastline in the capital city of Georgetown. It protects settlements in the coastal areas of Guyana, most of which are below sea level at high tide.



Length 280 miles

Sea wall on a bad day

 

Not unusual to see animals on the sea wall

 

Liming at the Seawall - or "hanging out"

The most famous stretch of seawall in Guyana is the Georgetown seawall. On Sunday evenings it is a a very popular place for relaxation, family time, social liming, exercise activities, music and food.

 



Send people, not aid money.

Send people, not aid money.

Off the Beaten Track

Today I board the plane for Canada, thankfully I have finished my work for ABANTU so I have short amount of time for another blog. For now I will hold off any final thoughts regarding my trip to Ghana and working with ABANTU and give you another update in a few days.

I want to share with you some of my journey this weekend to Sabin Hills, a small village in the Central Region of Ghana. I was invited by Evan ( young man the worked at the guest house) to travel with him to meet his family and visit the village. In hindsight I now realize how significant that visit was for Evan and his family, and unfortunately I had to manage some expectations but more about that later.

I understood the trip would take perhaps three to four hours and the distance on google maps is about 283 kilometres. We took a Tro Tro from guest home to Keneshie Market at 4:30 am , the first bus was full and we finally got settled on the second bus at 7:30am. We arrived at Dunkwa On-Ofin at 3:30pm, but the last vehicle to the village had already left. After some serious negotiating we settled on a fare by taxi to the village, 45 km and 2 hours on a very bumpy dirt road we arrived at the village.

Evan's grandfather ( by namesake) travelled with us and led us through the town on arrival, believe me I completely underestimated the attention I would draw as we walked.

R-L
Evan, family friend, Grandfather & Chief, Auntie, Grandfather ( namesake)










After arriving and meeting the family we settled into a meal of bean stew, boiled yams and boiled plantains. I had to eat two meals; one served by Evan's Mother and one served my Evan's Auntie. Unlike Canada the men eat seperately from the children and women, as a guest I was expected to eat with the men. The meal was prepared with produce from his mother's farm on an open fire.




Cooking Kitchen










The evening was spent sitting on a log bench under a tree and under the stars, playing with the children meeting new people as they stopped by the meet the Obruyni. I made history that night, as I am the first white person to ever stay overnight in the village, previous visitors  come in for the day and take accommodations in the city. Off to bed early, as in Ghana everyone gets up either before or at sunrise ( 4:30am).

The next morning was spent drinking Milo, eating bread, bathing with a bucket in the bath house and cleaning up around the property. Grandfather arranged for a taxi and I spent the next few hours meeting the King, the Chief, other family members and church elders. There was a funeral that day in the village and there were many visitors, everyone dressed in either black or red. As a guest I found out I had to attend the funeral, meet and shake hands with the family and their elders, unfortunately I was not expecting to attend a funeral and had to go in my shorts and sandals .

The next stop on our tour was the gold mines. The Central and Ashanti Regions of Ghana are well known for their gold mining, unfortunately only foreigners and perhaps high level government officials really benefit from the gold mining. The government owned mine closed 15 years ago and now the Chinese run illegal gold mines. They pay the local land owner some money to extract the gold from their land, employ local men & women to work in the mine for a pittance. I was able to walk throughout the open pit mine, it was very very hot, terrible fumes, no safety equipment and generally intolerable working conditions. Once they have extracted the gold they are supposed to fill in the pits and return the land to a point where it could be farmed again. Surprise, no way the foreigners just leave this big hills and holes of dirt with no reclaimation efforts and too far away from the capital for the government to monitor the activities.

The ground is excavated and the dirt is shovelled into bags and carried by the women or put into the machines directly

Jan " Gold Miner" putting the gravel mixed with sand into a grinder, after which they run it through water several times.

A girl can work up quite an appetite after mining for a gold, so back to the village for lunch; fou fou and light soup ( ground nut paste, pepper, chicken & tomatoes).

With a full tummy we decided I better travel back to Dunkwa on Saturday evening since there were no vehicles travelling back on Sunday. Again after much negotiating we found a reasonable drive with a taxi driver and the lottery guy. In Dunkwa we staying with Grandpa and his family, a wonderful family and great hospitality. They sent me back to Accra with fresh oranges, papayas, coconuts, bananas and nuts despite me explaining it was too much to carry on the Tro Tro.

Sunday morning I left for Accra by Tro Tro at 9:00 and arrived home by 6:00 that evening, feeling tired, dirty and blessed that I had been treated to such wonderful hospitality and kindness.

See you all soon in Canada!