By Shirley Thomas

IT’S a dream come true and a most fulfilling experience for 23 students from the Primary and Secondary Departments of Baramita School in Region 1, currently on a 3½ day visit to the city, compliments of the Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) country office and other key stakeholders.PAHO Consultant Angela Hoyte told the Guyana Chronicle that the visit was sponsored by PAHO/WHO, in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health; Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs and the Ministry of Social Protection.

The initiative was in response to a request made by four students of the school for a group to be taken to Georgetown to see the Guyana National Museum. At that time, PAHO/WHO Representative Dr. William Adu-Krow and Minister of Public Health, Dr. George Norton were on a fact-finding visit to Baramita to make an assessment of the frequency and causes leading up to suicide as a rampant phenomenon in the community.
The trip was planned to include other places of interest in the city and has turned out to be a huge success.
The visit commenced last Sunday when the 23 enthusiastic students, accompanied by Senior Mistress Jennifer Williams; Village Councillor Bernice Williams; Community Health Worker Akeem Henry; parent Rubina Thomas and others arrived at the Ogle Airport.
Hoyte confirmed that the students have since paid visits to President David Granger, had lunch with PAHO’s Dr. William Adu-Krow, visited the National Library, the Bank of Guyana, and its Roof Garden where they had a panoramic view of the picturesque city of Georgetown. They were also taken to the Guyana Zoo in the Botanical Gardens.
The touring party visited the Ministry of Education and had fruitful discussions with Minister of Education Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine. They also met with officials of the Ministry of Public Health and the Ministry of Social Protection.

OCEAN VIEW HOTEL ACCOMMODATION
Yesterday’s activities included an interactive one-on-one talk on self-esteem and hygiene, conducted by PAHO consultants, in a warm and informal atmosphere at the Ocean View Hotel, where the students are being accommodated. The day’s schedule concluded with visits to the National Communications Network (NCN) and the Guyana National Museum, which was of particular interest to the touring party. Visits around the city will continue today and they depart Georgetown for Baramita tomorrow.
Meanwhile, the students have expressed profound gratitude to Dr. Adu-Krow and staff of PAHO; Dr. Norton and all the other stakeholders for making their visit to Georgetown possible and affording them what they described as a “rewarding experience.”
They have stated how happy they were that what was once a dream has turned out to be a most intriguing reality.
Expressing appreciation on behalf of the school, Senior Mistress Williams said: “Our gratitude to our sponsors. PAHO gives them (the students) hope and us, as teachers too.”
Over time there has been a worrying increase in the suicide rate in Baramita. According to a reliable source and confirmed by a community health worker, from 2006 to the present, there have been 65 cases of suicide at Baramita, with most of them being by hanging.

PRIDE & SELF-WORTH
Out of concern for this development, PAHO and other stakeholders sought to put together a package for the young people which would have them engage in activities that would make them feel good about themselves; harbour feelings of pride and self-worth, while bringing them to a conscious realisation that life is precious and should be cherished, not callously taken.