the Guyana Visit Report

Report on Guyana Visit, January 2015 Undertaking the first visit to Guyana since 2009, the group comprised Terry Brown, Twinnage Organiser, John Wild, Arundel & Brighton Twinnage Officer and Graham Jackson, Bristol Twinnage Officer. The main aims were to develop relationships, establish correspondence links with the twinned conferences and consider options for a number of sustainable projects to be financed through a legacy left to the SVP for work in South America. Following our evening arrival in the capital, Georgetown, we were met by Duane Lopes, Treasurer of the Superior Council (the equivalent of our National Council), and taken to our overnight accommodation at the Sleepin Hotel. We were picked up before dawn for an hour’s flight to Region 1 which is in the north west of the country, near the Venezuelan border. We were accompanied by Winston Playter, President of the Superior Council, and were royally greeted at the small Mabaruma airstrip (photo) by members of five local SVP Conferences and the Particular Council (the equivalent of our District Council). Region 1 is accessible only by boat or by light aircraft. The local dirt roads are poorly maintained. Heavy goods are brought by boat from Georgetown to the local port at Kumaka, a two‐day journey. The region had been developed in the gold‐rush period of the 19th century and some mining continues at Port Kaituma, a three‐hour boat ride upstream. This area is infamous for the Jim Jones tragedy where the largest mass suicide in the world occurred in nearby Jonestown. Forestry is the other main industry. Region 1 does not have a bank so local trade is based on a cash economy. The power supply is intermittent and generally only available from about 5pm to 11pm. There is a rudimentary postal service with mail being collected from the small post offices in each settlement. Education and health services are, however, state‐aided. We visited Our Lady of Lourdes church and parish centre in nearby Hosororo and examined buildings that are to be renovated by the conference to house a proposed sewing project. We paid a call on an SVP shop run by the St. Joseph, Husband of Mary conference in Mabaruma. There are proposals to extend the shop to provide a much‐
needed copying and printing facility for the community. We moved on towards Barabina Hill where the conference of St. Joachim & St. Ann plans to re‐establish a chicken rearing project. Alas, the vehicle broke down in a flooded section of road leaving us to paddle and dry out at the church. Having found some replacement transport, we moved on to Kumaka and the small church of SS Peter and Paul. The Conference is planning to re‐establish a sewing project which was initially producing bags from unwanted plastic sheeting. The revitalised project will produce shopping bags and school uniforms with the proceeds supporting needy families. Attending 7am Sunday Mass in Hosororo, we learned that two priests cover 32 parish centres so many of the smaller communities only have a monthly Mass relying in the interim on laity‐led Eucharistic services. Later that day, we held a meeting / workshop with members of the Council and conferences including the St. Michael conference in Port Kaituma which plans to re‐establish a sewing project, producing school uniforms, pillow cases and bed sheets.. Conference Presidents described their ongoing work of visiting and feeding the elderly, assisting families with food hampers, providing help for the blind and those requiring medical assistance, distributing second‐hand clothing and providing school uniforms for needy children. Discussions moved on to potential project applications and help was provided in completing the SVP project application forms. Prospective projects comprise sewing (uniforms, bags and bedding), chicken rearing and extension of the SVP shop to provide copying and binding facilities. The projects will provide employment and income to further support the conference work for the poor and needy. Guyana report_030315.docx 1 SVP shop in Mabaruma Meeting / project workshop, Hosororo SS Peter & Paul church in Kumaka Graham escorting Lyrna Shepherd from flooded car Buildings for sewing project, Hosororo Guyana report_030315.docx Terminal building at Mabaruma airfield 2 As an example, of the proposed projects, Natalie Henry, President of the St. Joachim & St. Ann Conference described their proposal to rebuild a chicken‐rearing pen. The chicks will be brought by air from Georgetown, fed twice daily and, after about six weeks, offered to market and the cash used to buy new chicks and feed. Profits from the project will help support needy families. Back in the capital Georgetown (Region 4), we paid a courtesy call on Bishop Francis Alleyne OSB and then visited the St. Thomas More men’s home which has 21 elderly residents and 3 members of staff (2 carers and a cook). The residents pay about £80 per month from their state pension. We met many of them including a previous mayor of Georgetown whose room was decorated with testimonials to a life well spent in service. Another resident with a keen interest in literature and a nominal Muslim enjoyed the regular religious meetings which are held regularly. The home is financed and administered by the SVP Superior Council and is in need of urgent maintenance. A project proposal was prepared comprising both external and internal repairs and maintenance. We also called in at three other care homes for ladies, two of them run by the Sacred Heart Conference. The residents provide their own food but contribute about £17 per month towards utility bills and keeping their environment clean. In each home, there is a resident matron who lives there rent free. Bro. Graham held hands with a lady aged about 45 with obvious learning difficulties. He was able to establish that her mother had died and she had two sisters one of which lived locally and came to visit her regularly. It was obvious that the community of elderly ladies cared for Veronique and the wider community in the area care for the house itself. At a subsequent meeting with the Superior Council and Conference members (mainly from Georgetown but also from Linden, Region 10 and Helena, Mahaica‐Berbice, Region 5), we heard about the use of twinnage funds for providing food hampers, clothes and medicine for the elderly and disadvantaged families. We learned that two Conferences were in abeyance (St. Antony of Padua, Buxton and All Saints, Wauna) but that two new Conferences had opened in the mining town of Bartica in Region 7 (St. Anthony and St. Martin de Porres). The St. Paul Conference in Helena, Mahaica‐Berbice submitted an application for expanding an ongoing chicken rearing project from 50 to 150 chicks: the young chicks are bought, fed up for about 6 weeks and then sold for meat. The proceeds are used to buy groceries for needy families: currently 12 families are supported. Other conferences were encouraged to formulate plans for future project applications. On a day off, Bro. Winston kindly arranged some transport to take us on the coastal road south to New Amsterdam, passing through various towns on route with sugar plantations names such as Liverpool, Everton, Manchester (could there be a theme here?). The floating bridge over the Berbice river near New Amsterdam is one of only two major bridges in the country (the other being the Demerara Bridge near Georgetown). Prior to departure, we were invited to pay a visit to the Catholic Media Centre near the Bishop’s House in Georgetown. Bros. Terry and John were interviewed on the reasons for the visit and the work carried out by the SVP both in Guyana and internationally. The primary aims of the visit were achieved in that we were able to liaise with key members of the Superior Council and meet members from numerous conferences in Regions 1, 4, 5 and 10. Correspondence details for all 15 conferences were shared including two new ones in Region 7. Details of 7 projects were assembled to enable a proposal to be put forward to the National Twinnage Committee in February. It is hoped that final approval from the Board will allow finance to be sent to Guyana towards the end of March from the South American legacy fund. It is anticipated that annual progress reports and completion reports, where appropriate, will be provided by Winston Playter who has agreed to become the Projects Officer when his role as President of the Superior Council comes to an end later in 2015. Guyana report_030315.docx 3 St. Thomas More men’s home, Georgetown Resident of men’s home in his room Meeting of the Superior Council Kitchen facility in the Sacred Heart ladies’ home Members attending the Superior Council meeting Floating bridge over the Berbice River Guyana report_030315.docx 4