Dear Editor,
It has been a great pleasure to visit Guyana as a volunteer with the USAID Farmer to Farmer program. Through this program, I had the opportunity to work with Del Hanah Farm in pursuit of obtaining certified organic status.
As a retired organic farmer and former organic inspector, it is my passion to support farmers on their path to success.
I think farmers see the world through the lens of the land and the people who work so hard to care for it. The land here is beautiful. The people are kind and generous.
I would like to share the wonderful experiences I had while picking up trash at the jetty area. Staff at the Pegasus Hotel was always supportive in providing me with trash bags so I could go on an evening stroll collecting trash and interacting with people who were using the park.
In my outings I met: a young woman from Venezuela who shared her story of leaving and missing her country. Her young son and a sweet group of boys joined in trash collecting with enthusiasm. A young man with his wife and three children so kindly helped me carry bags back to the hotel for disposal. A homeless man asked if he could help and filled four bags in no time. I met three young men who were practicing for the Easter kite flying competition, and the Saturday morning Tape Ball Team who pitched in. My project manager from the Farmer to Farmer program joined me for an evening clean up and we both participated along with a young farmer, Ryan, in the Seawall & Beyond organized clean up. People were curious, positive and always helpful.
I learned that the simple act of picking up trash became such an opportunity to meet people. I believe that the people who use the Kingston Seawall area would not litter if trash cans were provided and emptied on a regular basis. I noticed at the Band Stand area, there are 14 trash cans and only two were emptied. People end up putting their trash next to the overflowing trash containers and then the wind spreads it around. By the jetty, there are no trash cans at all.
The Kingston Seawall from the Band Stand to the jetty is a treasure! The new boardwalk extension makes it even more impressive. Maybe by making it a National Park, it would receive the same level of care as the National Park nearby.
I hope to return to Guyana and find that I have to figure out a different activity to engage with the lovely Guyanese people because there will be no more trash to pick up.
Sincerely,
Gabriele Marewski
Coaching
MA Leadership LRU
