IN the wake of reports that two sugar workers had allegedly committed suicide, the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) and the Ministry of Public Health have teamed up to implement the ‘Social Resilience’ component of its ‘Sustainable Communities Programme’ for the sugar–dependent communities in the vicinity of Skeldon, Rose Hall, Enmore and Wales Estates.

GuySuCo and the Mental Health and Men’s Health Units of the Ministry of Public Health are jointly pursuing a social resilience programme to establish a network of individuals, groups and organisations within the targeted communities with a view to build their capacity and capability to provide psychosocial support to ex-employees of the Corporation, as well as their families and residents in the targeted communities.

According to GuySuCo the objectives of the programme are three-fold. to: develop and implement a social resilience programme for ex-employees of GuySuCo; build a network of individuals, groups and organisations to provide psychosocial support; build a network of medical personnel, religious leaders, other community leaders, as well as personnel from GuySuCo to support ex-employees in these sugar-dependent communities to cope with and adapt to disturbances or changes as a result of the re-organising of the Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc. and the sugar industry.

The targeted groups are ex-employees from Skeldon, Rose Hall, East Demerara (Enmore) and Wales Estates, family members of ex-employees and residents in these communities.
Activities to be done under the programme include: mobilisation of relevant stakeholders, for e.g. religious leaders, groups and organisations; civil society organisations in relevant communities to provide counselling and other support; counselling, training of medical personnel to provide counselling and other psychosocial support; training for religious leaders within Skeldon, Rose Hall, Enmore and Wales Estates; training of representatives from civil society organisations in relevant communities to provide counselling and other psychosocial support; establishment of centres (specific points) in communities to provide support in counselling and other psychosocial support (e.g. churches, mosques, temples, community centres); development of a monitoring and evaluation system to ensure the effectiveness of the programme.

In a release, GuySuCo said one of the key outcomes of the Social Resilience Programme will be the development of a blueprint on the process as a ‘National Social Resilience Approach’ for transitioning communities nation-wide. The first training will be held for 30 medical personnel who will be drawn from GuySuCo and the Ministry of Public Health, to equip them with the knowledge of addressing issues such as depression and suicidal ideation and to equip persons with the required coping skills. The training will be conducted from Tuesday 9th to Thursday 11th January, 2018 from 09:00hrs to 16:00hrs at the GuySuCo Staff Club at its head office at La Bonne Intention (LBI), East Coast Demerara.
In the following week 15 – 18 January, 2018, the corporation and the Ministry of Public Health will be conducting  ‘Mobilization/Awareness Sessions for Religious Leaders’  from Skeldon, Rose Hall, Enmore, Wales and their neighbouring communities.

The sessions are scheduled as follows: 15 January, 2018– Rose Hall Community Centre; 16 January, 2018 – Skeldon Community Centre; 17 January, 2018 –Enmore Community Centre and 18 January, 2018–Wales Community Centre.

The Mobilisation/Awareness Sessions will be held from 16:00 – 18:00hrs on each day. According to GuySuCo, a number of activities are also planned under the programme.
The Social Resilience Programme will be implemented over the period from January to December, 2018 and GuySuCo hopes to build partnerships with other organisations to ensure that the ex-employees, their families and these sugar-dependent communities received the best support in this area.