Dear Editor,

THE Guyana Women Miners Organisation (GWMO) is yet again being slandered in the print medium. In January 2018, a similar article was sent to the media under the guise of a member of the GWMO. One article boldly carried the name of the alleged writer who visited both our office and the media house to validate that she did not write nor submit any such letter. The GWMO recognises that the article sought to bring doubt about our credibility and project the image of corruption. While we will not sink to the trenches to dwell on the level of the writer, we simply wish to provide him/her with facts that could have otherwise been requested by visiting our office. It may be beneficial to the writer to note that our office has moved from 106 Brickdam to 57 Robb and Oronoque  Streets, Georgetown.

As we had stated in our response to the January article, any financial member of the Guyana Women Miners Organisation is free to visit our office to review our financial statements and audits. We recognise comparing the initial paragraph to the signature that the writer’s standing in the organisation is unclear to her/him. We trust that in the self-healing process, membership status becomes clear.

The writer alleges that our organisation is vacationing on donor funding. The GWMO refutes this slanderous claim. Our funding is solely for the development of our projects and not for the personal use of our members. We hereby inform the writer and the general public that nine of our members were beneficiaries of various empowerment conferences, fellowships and workshops during the month of September.

Contrary to the malicious allegations, Ms. Alandia Powers of the GWMO’s Mining Committee, was selected to participate in the Canadian International Resources and Development Institute (CIRDI) ASM Fellowship in Yukon and Vancouver, Canada. CIRDI undertakes work with in-country partners to offer education and training for governments and affected populations with the goal of transforming artisanal mining into a safe, secure and sustainable form of economic activity, capable of generating shared local prosperity, fully sponsored by CIRDI.

Mrs. Marina Charles was selected as a speaker at the ‘Safe 2018: Third Global Conference on Human Trafficking: Implementing Innovative Solutions.’ She was also a beneficiary of the Training-of-Trainers Programme. Her sponsorship was arranged by Safe Chicago.

Ms. Paula Bastiani and Ms. Karni Paton were both selected from our five members who applied for the International Conference on Artisanal and Small-scale Mining and Quarrying, (ASM18) in Zambia. They were exposed to a number of possibilities for women in the mining operations. Our representatives’ training included: conflict financing and illicit financial flows within the mineral supply chain, occupational and community health and safety, gender and youth, human rights, child labour, migration, ASM and the development Nexus, ASM data and statistic, quarry management and productivity. Ms. Bastiani also graced the stage during the aforementioned conference to participate in a panel discussion on women in mining.

Both participants were fully sponsored by the organising agencies.
Ms. Sheffield Douglas, of our Social Services Committee, was selected by Vital Voices to become a fellow on their Global Freedom Exchange. The programme is a multi-faceted, impact-oriented approach to empowering women leaders; specifically, leaders who are at the forefront of global initiatives to prevent and respond to human trafficking.

Ms. Reisa Roberts was selected to participate and present at the 15th International Human Trafficking and Social Justice Conference in Toledo, Ohio. Her participation was fully sponsored by the Guyana Industrial Mineral Inc. She was joined by Mrs. Marion Shepherd,  whose travel was sponsored by the United States Embassy in Guyana.

Closing off our outstanding empowerment drive in September 2018, Mrs. Belina Charlie and Mrs. Quyanna Elliott concluded their International Women in Mining Mentorship Programme (IWRMP) in London, England. This programme was geared at creating a network for women in mining amongst other functions. Their main aim is to empower and to promote women in working in resources to navigate industrial challenges and progress their careers offering them the confidence for achievement and leadership to make their mark in the industry. Ms. Charlie self-funded her participation, while Mrs. Elliott was fully
sponsored by the Ministry of Natural Resources, by way of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission. Mrs. Elliott’s sponsorship is the sole contribution from government to our organisation.

The writer appears to be an avid observer of our members and has placed special attention on their movements. In light of the baseless, callous statements, we seek to provide the writer with enlightenment; what you are witnessing is an aggressive approach to building the capacity of our members. Simply put, the Guyana Women Miners Organisation has been making unwavering efforts to empower women who are placed in positions to empower more women. All of successful applicants have emerged victorious through global competitive processes and were chosen based on the work that we have executed and validated. Our local as well as, global participation and representation of the mining industry is a testament to our active role in the mining industry.

In the near future, we will also have members travelling to participate in the Trust Conference, as well as, to receive a prestigious mining award. Again, not vacations nor are these participations made possible through the misuse of donor funding.

Further, as the writer may be aware, in May 2018 we rescued a young man who was allegedly imprisoned in a pen by his father for 10 years. From May to present we have expended over $1 million funding his rehabilitation. We have given this item top priority over other pressing obligations.

The Executive Committee of the Guyana Women Miners Organisation was constitutionally elected by our general membership. Our Executive Committee comprises women with a wide range of experiences, skills and knowledge. Our president not only grew up in a family of miners, and played key roles in the management of those operations, but also was former mining operation owner. Our First Vice-President, Ms. Donna Charles, has a wealth of experience and knowledge in large-scale mining; our Second Vice-President, Ms. Joan Williams has in excess of 20 years in the mining industry and our Executive Secretary, Mrs. Marina Charles, has over 30 years of experience in the mining industry. With these strong women in mining at the head of our executive, we need not expound more on the point that we remain genuinely committed to the development of women in mining. We welcome the writer to contest during our next elections on November 4, 2018, should she/he be interested in joining us as we aid in the development and protection of our country, Guyana.

In an effort to not be repetitive, we wish to refer the writer to our January 17 2018 response on our accomplishments from 2015 to early 2018. Being considerate to other writers, we will highlight three of our most recent initiatives/projects. The GWMO has been distributing generators to hinterland schools with feeding programmes, as well as clinics and health centres facing difficulties with electricity. (to be continued)

Kind regards,
Urica Primus
President
Guyana Women Miners Organisation