– One woman’s struggle to help bring about change
MOTIVATED by the love  and compassion for humanity, and the experience of being placed on a plane bound for the country of her birth, with even the family she knew not wanting any sort of association, has propelled one  deportee to embark on a project aimed at championing the cause of others in a similar situation.
For Donna Snagg, one of the founding members of the Juncata  Juvant Friendly Society, located on South Road, the fact that she herself is a deportee, having been repatriated here in 1999, allows her to empathise with those in this unfortunate category.
Being labelled a  `deportee’, she said,  is in itself a stigma, as society often looks down on persons falling under that category, which is why she coined the term, ‘involuntary remigrant’, as it  not only has a better ring to it, but is more acceptable.
Noting that society should cut people like her some slack so they can prove themselves, Snagg said it is because of the struggle she has had to endure as she sought to get her footing here and put the stigma of being a deportee behind her, that she realised that there is a great need for some sort of a re-integration programme.
Supported in her quest by several persons, among them Attorney-at-law Joseph Harmon and Ms Carol Williams and Ruth Howard, Snagg, who holds the position of Vice-President in the organization and has since her return earned a first degree in Law from the University of Guyana, submerged herself into doing extensive research so as to make her idea a reality.
And what she found in the process, which didn’t surprise her anyway, was that many ‘involuntary remigrants’ were either homeless, being taken advantage of, finding it challenging in terms of employment, and even discriminated against because of their present status.
“It’s bad enough having to be returned to your country due to some infraction you have committed, but what is even worse is when your own, despite your best attempts, seem to have no mercy,” she said.
The term ‘Juncata Juvant’  in Latin means ‘things joined together are helpful’, and according to the young advocate, Tuesday, which was designated ‘International Women’s Day’, what this simply means is that there is strength in unity, and if intellectual, financial, human  and even resources of love are joined together, something good will come of the union.
The society, which became a legal entity on April 24, 2007, seeks to help  ‘involuntary remigrants’ find themselves by offering what is termed a ‘care package’ of such basic items as a bath towel, bath soap, toothbrush, deodorant, toilet paper and for the men, a shaving set.
At present, membership comprises some 500 re-migrants, but the organisation sees as its greatest challenge to date the issue of resources.
“I’ve been there, and I know how those who have been sent back feel, and this is what motivates me to keep going,” Snagg said, adding that the Society would love to construct a shelter where such individuals can call home until they can stand on their own feet.
“Our membership includes persons with much-needed skills such as carpentry and masonry… some are computer-literate and are willing to turn their lives around, if given the chance,” she said.
On the issue of resources, Snagg said initially, the Society received tangible support from the Canadian International Development Fund (CIDA) and the Catholic Relief Services, and currently, its major donor is an international organization, the name of which she prefers not to disclose.
However, the assistance provided by the donor is under condition that it should benefit only involuntary remigrants deported from the United States between July 1, 2009 and October  31, 2010, and that comes to an end in June this year, just three months away.
But Snagg is keeping her fingers crossed that there will be an extension of the funding, so that the work of the organization, which has embraced and helped soften the challenges in the lives of so many persons, can be continued.
She is also hoping that other donors will come on board to assist with what she describes as a worthy cause.
Said she: “There are individuals who were returned outside the July 1, 2009 and October 31 period being catered for under the donor’s package, both before and after, and the society is at its wits end to extend and continue assisting them from its meagre resources. You can see the eagerness in the faces of some as they come through the door, knowing there’s someone, some organization that still cares. We cannot turn our backs on them; that’s not a part of us; they too need help…”
Noting that there are some who are definitely struggling to come to grips with their situation, Snagg said: “…should our door close completely on them, I shudder to think what will befall them.”
In addition to distributing the ‘Care Packages’, the young lawyer said the Society also helps members who face difficulty in obtaining the basic documentation such as ID cards, passports, birth certificates, and driver’s  licences, as well as employment.
She, however, explained that there is a process which the Society undertakes so as to confirm that the individual seeking help is indeed an involuntary re-migrant, and once that is done, the needed help is sourced.
Snagg was also loud in praise for those employers who are very supportive of the efforts of her organization in helping some members to be gainfully employed. She noted that at least one such employer would periodically contact the organization whenever there is an opportunity for someone to gain employment.
“It is acts like this that makes the involuntary re-migrant feels wanted in society, and while there will be the odd few, the majority of persons registered here do want to change their lives around,” she said.
To this end, the organization has been securing the services of seasoned social workers who, in addition to offer counselling, also engage the membership in interactive pep talks bordering on topics such as HIV/AIDS, and relationships with society.
Tours around the city aimed at helping the involuntary remigrants, in particular those who had migrated at a tender age, as well as social outings to selected parts of Guyana are all ways in which Snagg said the organization tries to re-integrate the membership back into society.