New NGO raises $170,000 to help launch Baramita charity

A TOTAL of $170,000 was raised last Thursday evening towards the start-up of a charity at Baramita, in the Barima-Waini District of Region One.
The fundraiser was held at the Cara Lodge, on downtown Quamina Street, by a relatively new organisation named “100 Women Who Care Guyana,” which has as its objective to raise funding for charities across Guyana.
The recipient organisation on this occasion is named “By Faith,” and is headed by Manager of Mercy Resident Care, Leslyn Holder.
The money was turned over to Holder on-the-spot, causing her to be moved to tears as she thanked the donors for their generosity, and for voting in favour of her charity.
“I’m feeling the love from all of you,” Holder said as she accepted the money.
A WORLD MOVEMENT
The “100 Women Who Care Guyana” is Guyana’s first branch of the larger “100 Women Who Care” movement, which has 340 arms across North America.
The movement is premised on a simple concept, which, as its name suggests, aims to bring together at least 100 women who care enough to donate towards a charity.
The male equivalent is called “100 Men Who Give A Damn,” but the female’s was founded by Valerie Jenkinson, a Canadian who started similar branches in St Lucia and Curaçao.
Local psychologist, Caitlin Vieira is the Chairperson of the Guyana arm, while Indira Harry is the treasurer.
In Guyana, the group will meet every three months, so that each member can nominate a charity of their liking; and from those nominees, three will be randomly selected for funding. Members then have to make a donation to get to vote for one of the three charities. Donations start at $5000 per person, and while persons can donate more, if they’re so desirous, each person is entitled to only one vote, regardless of the amount they donate.
The charity that receives the money is then expected to report on what developments were made, and how the money was spent at the organisation’s next meeting.
‘BY FAITH’
Last Wednesday, “By Faith” was selected by virtue of garnering more votes than Help and Shelter, and Bal Nivas, a children’s home run by the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha.
Prior to the voting process, a representative from each of the charities stood before the audience to talk about their organisation, and make a pitch as to why they should receive the money.
Holder, in her pitch, spoke of how the community of Baramita, in Region One, “really captured her heart” while doing mental health awareness work across the country. Holder, a remigrant from the UK, is a former Education and Training Coordinator for Mental Health Services at the Ministry of Public Health.
She shared the heartbreaking tale of how she could not forget the things she saw in Baramita.
“My very last visit broke my heart,” she said. “I cried for an hour on the plane coming home. One little boy said to me, ‘Miss, if you can take me with you, I really want to become a teacher and come back and help my community.’
“And I spoke to the Health Minister, and I said, ‘Forget mental health; I want to do something. If it kills me, I have to help these people in some way.’”

LIFE AT BARAMITA
As for the community itself, Holder said: “In Baramita, they have many, many social issues involving families, young people… There is alcohol, drug abuse, sexual abuse; and I’ve seen children without food.
“Ninety-eight per cent of those children can’t access schools, because of the distance, because of transport, because of no food, because parents aren’t educated enough.”
Speaking with this publication about her plans for the money, Holder said one of her first objectives is to get a few on-the-ground staff in Baramita, and to also take herself out there as soon as possible.
“In my Action Plan,” she said, “I want to have persons there on the ground who are responsible for certain things; so I’ll be getting some staff on board, doing some training, getting some parents involved.
“And I have to ensure that I’m there, so that people see me and they are motivated.”
Holder said she knows that there will be many challenges, particularly the language barrier, as a lot of the residents of the largely Amerindian community speak mainly Carib, with only a handful speaking English. Holder, however, said she will not let this stop her.

 

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