Our Next Meeting:
The next meeting when a new charity will be chosen will take place on Wednesday, July 11th, 2018
At
The Guyana Motor Racing Sports Club (gmrsc)
Lot 3 Albert street, Thomas land Georgetown. 6-6:30pm - networking
Meeting starts at 6:30pm and finishes at 7.30
RSVP: [email protected]
APRIL MEETING REPORT
The three selected charities were
- Pheonix recovery
- A Rotary project for the elderly
- By faith
By faith is a charity that supports people in region .
You can check them out on Facebook By Faith Foundation
JANUARY MEETING REPORT
The first combined meeting of !00 People Who Care took place on January 17th. We were delighted at how many men joined the ladies to contribute to those in need.
5 charities were nominated
The 3 that were pulled were:
1. Alana King for Phoenix Recovery Project
2. Stuart Gonsalves for Epic Foundation for Sophia Juvenile Centre
3. Kristina King for Buxton Youth Program
Stuart Gonsalves won $220,000GYD and will return on the 25th to show us what he did
October Meeting Report
Next meeting Wednesday January 17th, 2018
OCTOBER MEETING
A great meeting was held October 17th with about12 new members.
An exciting development was that the women voted to run a joint organization with the men and in future the organization will be known as !00 Who Care Guyana
A very good presentration was made by On the Wagon as to how they spent the funds donated at the last meeting. The gentleman who addiction treatment we funded gave a moving talk on how he spiralled from a very promising career as a young man to losing his home, his job and his family to the ravages of his addiction. He ended up in jail in the US and was deported back to Guyana where he was homeless. With the help of 100 Women he is now 6 months sober and contributing to society once again.
Out of the three nominated cahrities this quarter the winning charity was the Hararuni Girls Home located in the Hauraruni Village which is on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway. The home houses 17 children , 16 girls and one boy ages 3-14. These children had to face issues such as sexual abuse from their fathers , some mothers are deceased and abandoned by their fathers , some found abandoned on the streets , some parents were drug addicts and more. This home was born out of a desire to provide the love of a real home in a peaceful and healthy environment to deprived and homeless children; a home where they can receive emotional healing and the care which would enable them to live normal lives, and to become whole people and productive citizens.
The money from 100 Women will help buy the children school supplies, treatment for lice and other medical conditions, help rebuild things destroyed by the storm, things for their hygiene and more.
Come and bring your friends and colleagues at the January meeting.
July Meeting Report
The winner of our July meeting was On The Wagon (OTW), a non-profit organization dedicated to the prevention, treatment and eradication of drug use and abuse in Guyana.
Addiction recovery should be a main priority in Guyana as facts show that drug abuse increases all other unfortunate ills such as crime, domestic violence, mortality rate, school drop- out, road traffic accidents, and the spreading of diseases. Subsequently, our tourism rates and natural resources (forests) decreases due to production of these substances.
With such consequences, addiction recovery receives little to no monetary support and a large portion of the afflicted population is not afforded the opportunity to seek treatment within our community.
OTW supports Phoenix Recovery Project- an inpatient drug rehabilitation centre in Mon Repos. We provide clothing and welcome baskets to new clients who come ‘off the street’, which include a toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, deodorant, face rag, toilet paper and sanitary pads for the female clients. We also fund field trips and their hydroponic system where they grow their own vegetables such as cabbage, tomatoes and peppers. However, the scholarship fund for prospective clients is our main priority. There are many individuals who are in need of rehabilitation (mostly due to alcohol) and cannot afford the fees ($60,000 GYD per month). In the meantime, their families are suffering, being abused by these individuals and have no way out. It is On The Wagon’s to help the people in need by referring them to Phoenix Recovery Project and to fund their (on average) six-month stint.
Phoenix Recovery Project (PRP) was founded in 2000 and is registered under the Friendly Society Act. It is run by Mr. Clearance Young and is the only inpatient rehabilitation facility in Guyana who admits both men and women. PRP was awarded the Silver Medal of Service as they have dedicated 10 years to good public, government and industry service within our society.
The money donated by 100 Women Who Care Guyana will be used in the following manner:
- Recently one of Pheniox's teachers and house parents relapsed which caused grief and low motivation for the many that he once uplifted. The money received from 100 Women who Care will first go to his treatment.
- The money will also go some food that the organization has been lacking.
- Finally, On The Wagon provides gifts baskets containing essentials such as soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, sanitary pads, towels etc. for many clients who mostly come off the street. We will be able to put together enough for a few months with the money won.
In a country that is severely lacking in prevention strategies and treatment options, it is very important that we support the few existing ones. Victims of substance abuse are commonly blamed for their addiction. It is crucial to note that nations such as Guyana are vulnerable to high substance use and dependence due to unemployment rates, poverty and low education statuses. However, despite an individual’s employment, socio-economic or social status, addictions involving cocaine, alcohol and inhalants such as gasoline are commonly found in Guyana, especially among the youth populations.
Please, let us work together to change this.
Our First Meeting:
By Faith, a charity helping underprivileged, disadvantaged, peoples and children of Guyanese hinterland communities was the winner of the donations raised at the inaugural meeting of 100 Women Who Care Guyana which took place on Wednesday, March 22nd.
34 enthusiastic women who care deeply about their community and want to make a difference attended the meeting and donated $170,000 to By Faith. The Guyana chapter joined over 340 other chapters throughout North America, Mexico and the Caribbean all of which raise significant amounts of money for local charities.
Valerie Jenkinson, who Chairs the 100 Women Who Care St Lucia and launched 100 Women Who Care Curacao, joined Chair, Caitlin Vieira, and Treasurer, Indhira Harry, to assist Guyana launch their chapter. Valerie describes the organization as a group of dedicated women who care deeply about the Guyanese community who gather four times a year for a one-hour meeting, with each member donating $5,000GYD to a charity that the group selects through a ballot. “Once there are 100 members,” Ms. Jenkinson states, “the combined donation of $500,000 each quarter will make a real impact, without time-consuming fundraising events and planning. Our mission and hope is for those of us more fortunate to provide for those in greatest need in Guyana. $5,000 on its own does not do much but when 100 committed women join forces the combined result is really substantial and significant ”.
Chair Caitlin Vieira describes why she became involved and why she is an enthusiastic supporter. “When I was first approached with the idea of setting up a Guyanese chapter of 100 Women Who Care, I was immediately struck by the simplicity of the idea. I know so many busy women, like myself, who want to give back to the community and those in need but who have so little time and often not much knowledge of the local charities.”
At the meeting members nominated local charities they support. Out of all the submissions three were picked at random. The three picked were Help and Shelter, Bal Nivas and By Faith. The nominators for the three picked, make a brief presentation after each member cast a vote By Faith was declared the winner. Each member donated $5,000 and the money was presented to Leslyn Holder – CEO/Executive Director (RGN/H&SC). Ms. Holden describes how countless broken families, high levels of poverty, lack of basic health care and services, high suicidal rates, high level of substance abuse, high level of school dropout and attendance, high level of teenage pregnancy, domestic abuses, corruption and the destruction of the Amerindian lands have had a negative impact of the wellbeing and welfare of the peoples of the hinterland.
BY FAITH has pledged to do all in its power to stop this downward spiral of our hinterland first peoples livelihood, and has a clear Vision, Mission that articulates opportunities by working assiduously with the government and the many stakeholders in galvanizing the human resources, the financial requirements and other needs to help these communities. By Faith’s Vision is that all Guyanese hinterland children have equal opportunities to a quality education, where children can grow up to enjoy a promising career, a restored family life, those who are disadvantaged have choices and hope and all children have a voice.