Oluatoyin Alleyne

The Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has instructed Guyana Water Inc (GWI) to desist from using the chemical Polyhexanide, known as Antinfek, for water purification until its safety can be confirmed by an external agency.

As HIV became a major epidemic in Guyana, a group of creative minds came together many years ago to use what they do best—the arts—to help to fight the scourge that was becoming a health burden and attacking persons of all ages, genders and status.

Three days ago when he officially donned the black robe and was accepted as a lawyer by Justice Sandra Kertizious young Mandel Moore knew that he had not only fulfilled his dream but that of his now deceased father who was his main motivator to use his brain to be equal to others.

For a young expectant mother, who already has a daughter, the news of government’s plan to increase maternity leave from three months to six months sounded like sweet music to her ear, but soon reality stepped in and she immediately thought about the country’s economy and the affordability of such a move.

A recently-concluded Situation Analysis of Children and Women in Guyana found that one in every five Amerindian girls between ages 15 and 19 was a mother as was one in every four girls who lived in poor houses.

Fifty-two years ago, a mother gave birth to triplets—one boy and two girls.

A deep craving to add value to lives is what drives film director, playwright, script writer, novelist and poet Jude Idaba who is of the opinion that his words introduce cultures, which work to create a more tolerant society.

Ten per cent of Guyana’s women believe that a husband is justified in beating a wife if she neglects the children, demonstrates her autonomy ‒ for example by leaving the house without his permission ‒  refuses him sex, argues with him or burns the food.

Apologising for the delay in setting up the Local Government Commission, Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan has committed to it becoming a reality by the end of this month and has also revealed that a building has already been identified to house its permanent staff.

Growing up she had the same dreams as many young girls: get an education, get a career, meet her knight in shining armour and start an ideal family.

Lesbian teen Michelle (not her real name) says all she wants is to be allowed to live her life free of hate and discrimination and not be constantly labelled as “mentally unstable.”

Human rights activism might be the more politically correct term to describe Joel Simpson’s fight against injustices across society and in his heart that is what he does, but to be called a gay rights activist helps him to shine a light on one of the most marginalized and at times even self-loathed group in our country.

For years, Wintress White was a victim of domestic violence. But even though her husband beat her at his every whim and fancy and she would leave him on her own or when he chased her she kept returning as she puts it “for love.”

Four days after the horrific deaths of her two young sons 37-year-old Sonia George is still in a state of shock and while she agrees that her living conditions were not ideal to raise her five children, she questions how her young sons could die under the care of an agency that was supposed to protect them.

Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Dr Keith Rowley yesterday warned against overplaying small immigration issues and added that Caricom heads had agreed that in the area of free movement of nationals, the issue of security should remain with the receiving country.

Ron (not his real name) was just 14 when he was sent to the New Opportunity Corps (NOC) for committing the ‘offence’ of wandering and while he still has some residual anger, he believes that the institution saved him.

Alarmed at the large number of applications it was receiving for licences to operate liquor restaurants, the Board of Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA) reached out to the Ministry of Social Protection in a bid to tackle the issue of alcohol consumption and alcoholism because of the adverse effect these have on the country’s social fabric, but received what some have described as a shocking response from Minister Volda Lawrence.

At 17 years old, Michael (not his real name) is very optimistic about his future and he has vowed to make himself an honest man and to be a real father to any children he might ever have, even though all of the odds seem to be stacked against him.

Kean Chase has dedicated all of her adult life to fighting for the rights of children, especially those who are abused in horrific ways.

A single mother is accusing officers of the Child Care and Protection Agency (CCPA) of being involved in a scheme to take away her 10-year-old daughter and put her in the care of her paternal grandmother by alleging the child was pregnant; she is calling for action to be taken against the officers.