Dear Editor,
Guyana’s President, Irfaan Ali has provided copious rhetoric about the what of the 1000 men initiative but almost nothing about the how, beyond platitudes. We are told that this movement will “reposition the role of the male population in society “; address the high school dropout rate among boys; enable men and boys to adopt a more responsible and healthier lifestyle to avoid ‘preventable deaths’; reverse the high suicide death rate among men; work to make Guyana “a global example in coming together to end injustices to women”; tackle violence against children and so much more.
But exactly how will 1000 men reduce suicide among men, given that the collective resources of the nation and all its activists, advocates and professionals, along with all the plans and programs in place, have not been able to do so? Ditto for domestic violence, especially given that Guyana has no batterers’ program in place and no policy, plans and programs focusing on men in this respect? What exactly will these 1,000 men do that an entire education system and the Ministry of Education have not been able to do to reduce high school dropout rates among males? Ditto for child abuse, healthier lifestyles for men and boys and whatever else.
We fervently look forward to learning about the mechanisms, approaches, systems, processes, procedures, yardsticks, evaluative procedures et al of this revolutionary initiative. In fact we believe that activists, advocates, NGOs, CBOs, FBOs would be thrilled to lend their support once the specificities of the how are fleshed out. Please Hon. President infuse us all with hope, enthusiasm, confidence, especially those of us who are dedicating our lives, skills, efforts and resources to make small, incremental changes that seem to take place in a spiral rather than a straight line.
Sincerely,
Annan Boodram
