By Alissa Trotz
Editor of the In the
Diaspora column
The Covid-19 pandemic finds Guyanese at home and abroad plagued by worry about how our public health system, found sorely wanting at the best of times, but straining at the sinews in the context of the present political crisis since the March 2 election, will cope. We wonder how ordinary Guyanese will fare against the ravages of a virus that is wreaking havoc in much of Europe and North America. In the last weeks, Guyanese have also been stepping up to offer support and organise responses, and we are reminded of the incredible work that was done by so many in response to the floods of 2005.
Today’s column shares some initiatives by those who have felt propelled into action by the Covid-19 threat that faces Guyanese across race, class, gender, denomination and political persuasion.
Rotary Guyana has recently joined with members of the local business community – including E-Networks Inc., RED Entertainment and Ogle+Stone with the support so far from 94.1FM, 89.1FM, 93.1FM, MixFM (90.1FM – Demerara, 103.3FM – Linden, 91.5FM – Berbice), 104.1 Lite FM, GTT, Toucan Industries and BPI Guyana Inc. – to launch a ‘Community COVID-19 initiative’ (‘CCI’). A statement from Rotary Guyana notes that the aim of the initiative is for concerned citizens “to provide assistance to the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) in their effort to manage the COVID-19 pandemic,” and emphasizes that “this initiative will be effectively implemented with guidance from The Pan American Health Organization’s (PAHO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO).”
The Community Covid-19 Initiative will focus on two areas:
to raise funds for the procurement of medical supplies for healthcare providers to meet the anticipated need.
to develop an effective multimedia campaign to help educate the public with credible, verified information from the PAHO/WHO, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC);
CCI is urgently appealing to businesses in Guyana and the diaspora to help raise funds to source critical medical supplies to ensure that our healthcare providers have what they need to look after Guyanese while keeping themselves safe. To date, the Community Covid-19 Initiative has identified medical supply needs from the Georgetown Public Hospital, St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, West Demerara Regional Hospital and the MoPH, and are communicating with other healthcare facilities to identify their medical supply needs. The following list indicates what the CCI has been able to source at this time, with efforts underway to locate suppliers of other equipment like resuscitation masks and helmet ventilators:
Some of the items on the list have been sourced and ordered with money raised so far. The lead time for all imported medical supplies to arrive in Guyana is 7 – 14 days. All supplies are approved by GPHC/PAHO/WHO/MOPH before purchase. Donations should be made to Rotary Disaster Fund (Republic Bank Account no. 484-065-8). A gofundme account has also been set up to support the Rotary Guyana led CCI (gf.me/u/xupcw9).
The Community Covid-19 Initiative is also designing a multimedia campaign, intended to help bring awareness to the general public so that we all “KNOW WHAT TO DO” and are equipped with the knowledge and preparedness to stop the spread of Covid-19 in Guyana. The campaign is being streamlined through the NewsRoom social media pages, with the first radio spots being aired last week on 94.1 FM, 104.1 Lite FM, 89.1FM, 93.1FM and MixFM (90.1FM – Demerara, 103.3FM – Linden, 91.5FM – Berbice). Television spots are in the works, and an Instagram page (@notocovid19gy) and Facebook page (No to Covid Guyana) are being finalised and launched later this week. For further information about the CCI or to get involved, contact notocovid19gy@gmail.com
Practising physical distancing – at least two metres away from people who are not from your household – is crucial when outdoors. And staying at home except for essential trips is a proven way of breaking the chain of transmission and infection. To be sure, retreating into the household is not an uncomplicated matter. For many women in particular, domestic violence turns the home into a dangerous trap, something that requires particular attention at this time of shut-ins. And for the vast majority of Guyanese whose experience of economic insecurity is a daily reality (whether they are workers laid off in the sugar belt, living in squatting areas, single parent households, family members recently sent home without pay), physical distancing, curfews and lockdowns must be accompanied by a robust set of measures that can enable people to remain in place. This point was forcefully made by a Guyanese youth in a video that circulated a few weeks ago:
“Yuh can’t want yuh forcing one law and yuh ent doing the necessary fuh enforce this law fuh keep dis thing going how it suppose to go. Every radio station yuh turn on, the topic is Covid 19, social media, Covid 19. Why is it dese politicians, the reason why I saying politicians cause I ent want it sound like I attacking no particular party, why dese politicians don’t ease wid this court scene and all this nonsense wha’ they deh pon , and do the right thing…when we stay home and we lil savings done, how we eating? Some of these politicians never drink sugar water in they life, wha y’all know ‘bout poverty?…Poverty and starvation killing people long now, years now, thousands of people in the world does dead by poverty and starvation and dem ent tekkin’ it serious. Tek it from me, the only reason why dese people tekkin’ Covid 19 serious, the only reason why is because it killing poor people and rich people. If poor people alone did dying, dem wouldn’t even care. ..Me ent seeing the government of Guyana or these politicians them or the soldier truck driving through communities distributing food, distributing rice. Yuh want people stay home, this is the tings yuh got to do, distribute food.”
As of a few days ago, it was announced that the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), through the National Emergency Operation Centre (NEOC), has assumed the responsibility for resource mobilisation, and is working with the Ministries of Social Protection and Communities to identify and provide support to vulnerable persons and communities. According to a report in yesterday’s Guyana Chronicle, in kind and cash donations are welcome at their Thomas Lands headquarters between 09:00 hours and 15:00 hours.
To be sure, this is the kind of scale of response that our current situation demands. It is of course deeply compromised by the fact that Guyanese are still, unbelievably, waiting for a transparent and swift recount of the March 2 votes, and by the resulting uncertainty (not to mention deep distrust) about where government monies are to come from in the absence of a political resolution and legitimate mandate. This is our current tragedy.
But this has also not stopped others from mobilising and connecting, such as the example that surfaced a week or so ago of women sewing face masks to distribute across communities. Prior to the CDC announcement, some young people had also already begun identifying families in need through their churches and outreach activities, and had started conversations with grocery stores to source supplies to help them through the crisis. Rae Lam is a presidential candidate for The Citizenship Initiative, who defined herself in response to the Covid-19 pandemic as “just a mom and a teacher and a very concerned Guyanese who will work with anyone to try to help us all get through this.” She has joined with others to provide hampers of basic food items. Those most in need are likely to be the homeless, low-income households and/or those who are either jobless or whose employment is precarious. At present arrangements have been made through a supermarket to purchase hampers at a discounted price of 9000 GYD or 45 USD, which will provide the following for a family of four:
1 Kg pack rice
1 Kg flour
1 Kg sugar
2 pks macaroni- 500 g each
2 pks chowmein- 340G each
12 eggs
1 pack milk powder
2 450 g channa
1 450 g split peas
2lbs garlic
2 lbs onions
2 lbs salt
Oil
Butter
1 pk baby diapers- newborn, medium and large are box options
1 36 ct sanitary napkins
2 bars soap
6 rolls toilet paper
1 toothpaste
1 475 ml bottle bleach
1 250 ml bottle Dettol
1 bottle disinfectant
1 box soap powder
So far, some 60 hampers have been distributed to vulnerable households. If you are interested in donating or helping with the logistics (identifying families, organising and distributing hampers, connecting with others doing similar work, whether through community organisations, churches, mandirs and mosques), contact Rae Lam at 695-2697 or at rondha_l@yahoo.com
There are other examples of Guyanese stepping up to support each other, other ways of modelling our neighbourliness in the midst of a political crisis that threatens to undo us and a health crisis that will possibly leave few of us untouched. As we remember those loved ones lost to this pandemic so far, let us reach for each other. The CCI calls us to ‘know what to do!’. For all of us that means following the guidance on health, hygiene, and physical distancing. It also means looking out for each other, looking after each other, supporting those more vulnerable in our midst in whatever ways we can.
