SEASON'S GREETINGS & MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM GUYANA!

Everyone is busily preparing their homes, inside and out: lights, decorations, cleaning, cooking, baking all the festive treats-- Pepperpot, garlic pork, ham, duck, bread, black cake, sponge cake, ginger beer, sorrel drink... Yum!

Even International Human Rights Day celebrations take on the festive spirit

 

Pink Poinsettia grow in the yard where I Stay 

Sunday Market at Parika, Essequibo & the MV Malali

Fresh Veggies, fruit ( two pineapples for $400.00 Guy/$2.35 Can!), water coconuts, the latest smart phone, clothing, etc.

MV Malali is the ferry that still carries people, vehicles, produce, up and down the Essequibo River, between Parika and Adventure much as it did when I was a child of 6 or 7 yrs old. I remember watching the launch and being on its maiden voyage :-) How cool is that!! 

Due south on the majestic Essequibo River (Guyana's largest) towards the Essequibo islands and Adventure

Cuso Call Back & GAC Sessions

Cuso Call Back Session: December 1st

Cuso GAC Session: December 4th

Kuru Kuru College-Training Centre Wednesday, December 3rd

Thanks to my Cuso colleague, Taz, who "e-troduced" me to Mr. Richard Holder, Sr. Training Officer (acting) at Kuru Kuru, I was able to visit Kuru Kuru College on my way back from Linden. 

Kuru Kuru College-Training Centre is a program of the Ministry of Culture Youth and Sport. It is located in Region 4, on the Linden-Soesdyke Highway. Their mission is to, "provide  youth between the ages if 16 to 25 with technical vocational/entrepreneurial/and other life skills for personal and national development in a disciplined environment." This 10-month (Sept. to July) residential program is geared to early school leavers from all over Guyana. The Youth Entrepreneurial Skills Training Program, referred to as YEST, accepts about 250 young people per cohort who choose one of 10 building and clothing construction skill areas on which to focus their training. The addition of Business Studies to the skill options list has been instrumental in increasing the number of young women at Kuru Kuru to 1/3 of the residential population. A monthly stipend is paid, meals, health care, sports and cultural activities are also provided.

Ms Telitta Franklin, Business Studies Instructor; Ms Wendella Walton, Centre Administrator (acting); 

Mr. Richard Holder

Listening intently

Administrative Building

Corriverton- Region 6 UCCCI Visit

December 5, 2015
Corriverton- Region 6

Corriverton is a bustling town just south of Guyana's north east coast, on the Corentyne River, bordering Suriname.

I was  fortunate to be hosted by the Upper Corentyne Chamber of Commerce and Industry (UCCCI ) at a meeting in Corriverton, where we discussed opportunities, barriers and challenges to generating thriving youth entrepreneurial enterprises. The president, Mr. Abraham Subnauth, past president, Mr. Krishnand Jaichand and secretary, Ms Bebi Inshanalli took the time to describe the socio-economic realities of the region, what day to day opportunities and challenges exist, along with systemic/historical barriers.  They emphasized the difficulty in attracting young people in the region into entrepreneurship, and articulated the need for strong and sustained "public-private-partnerships" that support the region's agricultural base and engender "value-added/value chain" driven entrepreneurship.

OCCCI President, Abraham Subnauth and Secretary, Bebi Inshanalli

Past President, Krishnand Jaichand with me

In Search of the Entrepreneurial Spirit and Young Entrepreneurs: Region 10 Linden

DECEMBER 3, 2014

Hosted  by the newly revitalized Linden Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), its passionate president and two members of the staff and council: 

Kevin DeJonge, President (left) and Klensil Grenville, Asst. Secretary/Treasurer- both young entrepreneurs

Maureen Muss, Office Administrator

MC's Educational Institute's teachers and administrators 

MC's best, brightest and possible young entrepreneurs

Sandy, black water at Buck Creek, Linden

Message to friends and colleagues:

Hello Friends,

As you know, I don’t live my life from the sidelines. For me, work, life and volunteering aren’t separate endeavours. My journey is a fluid mixture of all of these and giving back is in my blood.
I’m headed back to Guyana (this time as a volunteer with Cuso International).
My parents emigrated from there in the 60s and always went back to help in education and government. Volunteering really is second nature to me. After many years of giving back here in Toronto, I knew it was time to share my skills in Guyana.

This all happened very quickly and I am honoured to be a volunteer with Cuso International. This organisation holds the same beliefs about volunteering as I do; volunteers are the very heart of every community. Rather than sending money, Cuso International sends people with tangible, transferable skills. All volunteers work on long-term, sustainable solutions, and live at the heart of the community they serve, on a similar allowance and in comparable accommodation to their local co-workers.

Please join me in this journey and donate to Cuso International. Each volunteer is asked to raise $2000 towards their journey. It ensures that more volunteers will come after me and that you, my friends and colleagues, are part of each of my successes and challenges.

Thank you in advance for your donation!

Pam