Guyana Premier and Youths on the Rise Guyana partner for special project

By Gibron Rahim
CHRISTMAS is the season of giving. It is the time of year when many give back to those who may not have had as fortunate a year as them. The holidays are a time for friends and family, but also for neighbours and community. It is in this same spirit that Guyana Premier, in partnership with Youths on the Rise Guyana, undertook charity activities for the holidays.

The Pepperpot Magazine spoke to Omesh Balmacoon, Co-Founder and Managing Executive of Guyana Premier, to learn more about the motivation behind this year’s activity. Guyana Premier was established in 2016 with fellow Co-Founder and Chief Operations Officer Dave Lalltoo at the helm. This is not the first time that the brand has undertaken charity work. Balmacoon explained that one of their first charity endeavours was a back to school drive in August 2017 which targeted 1000 underprivileged children from Leguan and students of Belvedere Secondary School. “We targeted 1000 underprivileged kids and we provided back-to-school supplies for them that would last them the entire school year,” he said.

Through sponsorship, Guyana Premier was able to provide backpacks packed with school supplies. The school supplies included books, pencils, crayons, geometry sets and rulers. Shoes were also provided. The Guyana Premier team also spent the day with them. The day’s agenda included lunch, snacks, activities and a mini-concert for the children. The back-to-school drive was repeated this year, this time at Vreed-en-Hoop Primary School. It is notable that Guyana Premier is the national franchise holder of the Miss Earth Guyana Pageant. Thus, along with this year’s back to school drive, Guyana Premier collaborated with Miss Earth Guyana, Xamiera Kippins, and Everything Makes Craft to host an upcycling workshop for the children.

Last Christmas, the Guyana Premier also undertook a charity activity that comprised a Christmas social, toy drive and a medical and dental outreach at Belvedere Primary School. Balmacoon related that the medical team consisted of five doctors who performed medical and dental examinations of the children. They were also able to prescribe medication and provide the children with medical supplies. Guyana Premier and their sponsors also provided gifts for the children and the day’s events once again included lunch, snacks and a concert.

Free cervical cancer screenings were also offered to the mothers who were there.
For this year’s charity activities, Guyana Premier/Miss Earth Guyana (the brand’s current designation) partnered with Youths on the Rise Guyana (YORG) on a toy drive called Joy of Christmas. Balmacoon explained that YORG is made up of a group of young people from the West Coast and West Bank of Demerara who are focused on improving the lives of peoples on the Westside. The event was YORG’s first annual toy drive and the Guyana Premier/Miss Earth Guyana’s second annual charity drive. This year’s activity was aimed at underprivileged children between the ages of three months and 13 years, from an area at Vreed-en-Hoop called “the Jetty”.

The first part of the activity was acquiring the toys. Balmacoon noted that YORG had representatives all across the Westside acting as hubs where people could drop off toys. Guyana Premier was also a hub. There were also sponsors who contributed. The toys were distributed this past December 16. The distribution took the form of a masquerade whereby representatives from the two bodies went around the Jetty with sacks of items, meeting with families and distributing toys and snacks.

Giving back is very important to Guyana Premier. “I don’t like using the term ‘charity’,” Balmacoon related, “because I do believe that we all have a social responsibility to each other.” He explained that some of us are better off than some. “Especially during the Christmas season, and the August holidays, families are more in need than anybody else,” he said. “At Guyana Premier we believe in empowering youths and one way that we can empower youths is by ensuring that they get a good education.” Therefore, the brand undertakes activities that not only empower youths but also look out for underprivileged families, as well as ensuring that underprivileged children do not feel left out of Christmas activities.

The Guyana Premier/Miss Earth Guyana has no intention of slowing down its community involvement efforts. “We started last year, we’re doing it this year and we’ll continue doing it as long as we’re around,” Balmacoon stated emphatically. The brand’s involvement with Miss Earth also fulfils another responsibility – one to the environment. Guyana’s delegate to the pageant, Xamiera Kippins participated in the Miss Earth Pageant held this past November in the Philippines. Kippins made an admirable showing, receiving a gold medal in the national costume segment and a silver medal in the talent segment.

Community involvement is crucial. Balmacoon noted that, for any business or brand, it is really important to let the community know that it is there for them and not just for selfish reasons. This is accomplished through community involvement. “We have to fulfil a social responsibility [as] we are not here for ourselves, we are here for each other,” he stated plainly. “By at least uplifting one section of the community, or one section at a time of the community, we are in fact uplifting ourselves.” Doing so ensures that everybody wins at the end of the day, he added. “It’s not about being selfish, it’s about ensuring that others are uplifted.” These cumulative efforts can result in the entire country being uplifted he said.