Giving back to Guyana: December 2014

Saturday, 20 December 2014

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

Thursday, 11 December 2014

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

Wednesday, 10 December 2014

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

Tuesday, 9 December 2014

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.