The National Co-ordinating Coalition (NCC) has been given a new lease on life with the official launch and occupancy of its new Secretariat at Cummings Park, “E” Field Sophia on Friday (June 8) .

This Secretariat, according to its Executive Director, Ms. Simone Sills, is a model of civil society co-ordination that works collaboratively with Civil Society partners and has responsibility for the oversight, coordination, and monitoring of 38 projects.

The National Co-ordinating Coalition (previously known as the National Co-ordinating Committee), has its genesis in the formation of a coordinating body formed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in 1999. Through that means, USAID began supporting a core group of Guyanese NGOs involved in the work of HIV/AIDS Prevention, Care and Support activities, and had responsibility for oversight, coordination, and monitoring of project results.

But with the global cut back on HIV spending and ultimately the decreasing of USAID financial support through PEPFAR in 2012, the sustainability of the programme was threatened, since Government was also unable to take responsibility for the funding of the programme.

Cognizant of the critical contribution the NGOs make to the National HIV/AIDS response, in June 2015, USAID initiated a three (3) year cooperative agreement with the Volunteer Youth Corps Inc. One of the project’s objectives, Ms. Sills said, is to create an enabling environment for the National Coordinating Coalition. That programme was successfully implemented and comes to an end on June 15, 2018.

Now registered as a non-profit and non-governmental organisation, the National Coordinating Coalition Inc. (NCC) is an autonomous umbrella body, managing the relationships and collaborative undertakings among its members. Its mission and vision are as follows:

– Mission: To strengthen and sustain the National Coordinating Coalition and NGOs responding to health and social issues in Guyana.
– Vision: An independent, civil society advocacy body that’s financially self-sufficient and sustainable with the capacity for administering multi-sectoral grants.
The following three objectives drive the core focus of the entity:
* Coordinate, in collaboration with governmental and other partners, the NGOs’ response to HIV/AIDS/STIs, and other health and social issues in Guyana;
* Mobilize resources to ensure the sustainability of the National Coordinating Coalition (NCC) and respond to national health and social issues;
* Offer support, and advocate for policies and practices, for healthy communities and national development.

Meanwhile, member of the Board of Directors, Ms. Margaret Lawrence outlined that in response to the need for broader interventions to address societal challenges, the NCC has adopted a community service approach that looks beyond HIV/AIDS. The NCC members are established in regions 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and ten, and are among the longstanding NGOs in Guyana addressing community and social issues which affect at-risk youth and families.

She said that through partnership with the Guyana Organisation of Indigenous Peoples (GOIP), the NCC extends its reach to regions 1,7, 8 and 9. These interventions include the prevention of suicide among key populations, youth empowerment and skills building, education development, crime reduction, gender-based violence, equitable access to healthcare services, and prison reform interventions.

Crediting the NGOs for the yeoman services delivered, Ms. Lawrence pointed out that the drive or passion of persons working with NGOs is a powerful resource and shows remarkable results. She said that with minimal resources, the NGOs continue to impact the lives of thousands of Guyanese, adding that they complement the national response to health, social issues, hence the need to sustain their services is evident.

Chairing the programme was Ms. Caressa Henry, Technical Officer, National Coordinating Coalition..

Joining the NCC in celebration were Ms. Edris George of the U.S. Embassy; Ms. Goldie Scott of the Volunteer Youth Corp; Mr. Alex Foster, Chairman of the Board of Directors – NCC; Mr. Jaimeel Davis, Manager of ‘Gifts in Kind’ Food for the Poor; Ms. Andrea Marks, Chairperson of the Cummings Park Community Development Council (Sophia); and supportive entities which made generous donations in kind and which served to put the Coalition on good footing to jump start their activities at the new location.

Among the ‘on the spot’ donors was ‘Food for the Poor’ which donated a quantity of furniture much needed for the literacy programme and pledged a further donation of computers and training kits to the Information Technology (IT) Class as well. “We are here to support the organization as much as we can, said FFP’s ‘Gifts in Kind’ Manager, Mr. Jaimeel Davis who also made other donations of cleaning agents in support of the aesthetics of the office. Other Private Sector partners have also made pledges of support to the Coalition.

Meanwhile, there were kudos for Ms. Andrea Marks, Chairperson for the Sophia Community Development Council, and sitting councillor of the Georgetown Municipality. Ms. Marks was instrumental in having permission granted for the use of the Community Centre to house the Coalition’s Secretariat and has been a key organizer in getting things done.
Said Ms. Goldie Scott: “This is a dream started by USAID, birthed in 1999. We are here to congratulate all the NGOs who worked to make a difference in the country…”

Ms. Marks expressed confidence that henceforth, the stigma attached to Sophia will be removed and that only good things will come out of Sophia.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the National Coordinating Coalition, Mr. Alex Foster who was also present, expressed gratitude to the many residents of Sophia who over the last few days have worked assiduously, rendering help in diverse ways to make the launch of the facility possible.

“I am glad that we have made this choice to establish the NCC Office here in Sophia. The presence of the office will be able to transform this part of the capital city, which is long overdue, and this is due to the fact that the NCC has the ability to mobilize resources – especially members of the donor community, so we can put a spotlight on Sophia in positive ways.

This means that Sophia will not only grow as a community, but the stigma and discrimination associated with it will be removed. Indeed, everyone has a story to tell,” Mr. Foster affirmed.