Relief Council says donations helped it to 12 years of service

Observing its 12th anniversary, the Guyana Relief Council (GRC) says contributions from a number of local and overseas-based individuals, businesses and organisations bolstered its work.

The GRC, in a press release, said among its achievements, was registering the GRC as a non-profit organisation in the USA under the name The Guyana Relief Council of Florida Inc. Former secretary Joan Sears was instrumental in this venture, the council said.

Other achievements last year include completing the rehabilitation of the administrative building and fortifying the ground floor and storage area against flooding. This was possible through “a generous donation” from Mr and Mrs Desmond Greene of Portugal along with donations of paint and money from members and friends of the GRC. Courtney Benn also contributed to the project by building storage cupboards at no cost to the council. The council said other donors included Weygand Gardner – All God’s Little Children, Ansa McAl, Paul Bonar-DJ Stress, Errol Campbell of Canada, T Geddes Grant Guyana Limited, the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, Gwendoline Bristol, Pharmagen, the Shiv Shakti Sanadj of Suriname, Twins Manufacturing Chemists and the United Nations Children’s Fund. It also said regular donors such as Colgate Palmolive, Edward Beharry and Company, the Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc, the National Milling Company, the New Building Society and Sterling Products Limited continue to contribute.

The GRC said for the year 2006 it provided material assistance to the value of $10, 142, 000 to a total of 1,179 persons who suffered disasters and welfare recipients. It said it provided flood assistance, during the first quarter of the year, comprising 120 blankets and 1000 cleaning hampers towards the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) co-ordinated Operation Floodgate. The CDC reported that the items were given to persons in the Mahaicony area and to persons leaving shelters to return to their homes.

The GRC also said an average of 8 families per month suffer losses due to fire. In 2006 it provided assistance to three families of Rainbow City, McKenzie, Linden in January; six families of Bel Air Street, Albouystown and two families of Sea Field, Leonora, West Coast Demerara in March; four families of ‘D’ Norton Street in April, two families of 98 Barr Street, Kitty and four families of Vergenoegen, East Bank Essequibo in May; to the Mendonca family of Brooms Estate, Mabaruma, North West District in June; the Trotman family of Nottinghamshire, Upper Demerara River in July; three families of Robb Street in August; six families of second Avenue, Bartica in September, four families of Third Street, Alexander Village in October; two families of Garnett Street, Kitty, who were also housed temporarily at the GRC headquarters, in November and two families of Stanleytown, New Amsterdam in December.

The council said during the year three families were housed at its headquarters but many times persons cannot take advantage of the offer of accommodation as they are forced to return to burnt-out sites to safeguard any possessions that might remain. In such instances the GRC provided tarpaulins, donated by All God’s Little Children, to ten families whose homes were partly gutted by fires to allow them to remain on site. It also gave building materials to ten families who suffered due to freak storms: one family from Limlair, Corentyne in February; two families of Curtis Street, Albouystown, who were also given tarpaulins, and one family of Bushlot, West Coast Berbice, in May; three families of Eversham Village, Corentyne in June; one family of Moblissa, Linden Highway in July; one family of Bare Root, East Coast Demerara and one family of Stewartville, West Bank Demerara, who also received a piece of tarpaulin, in December.