A team of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) has raised over $2.5M in just over a month to assist indigenous communities across the Rupununi in protecting themselves from the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.

The sum can be broken down in cash and kind with over $1.3M alone coming from a GoFundMe account set up for the cause. Added to this, scores of local groups and organisations have donated needed supplies and have given of their time to ensure that, in the fight against the virus, Guyana’s First Peoples —more vulnerable to the virus — are not put at a disadvantage.

On July 17, 2020, Eírîpan, a charity in operation for over 15 year, liaised with the Kanuku Community Representatives Group (KMCRG), a community-based NGO, and the Rupununi Learners Foundation, a US-based non-profit organisation, to provide critically needed medical, sanitation and other supplies to indigenous communities in Guyana. They were later joined by the South Rupununi District Council (SRDC).

A GoFundMe page was launched while local donors were also informed of the avenues through which they could assist. President of Eírîpan, Melanie McTurk, had explained to the newspaper back in July that indigenous communities around the world are considered the ethnic group most vulnerable to the coronavirus due to their lack of immunological exposure, which makes them more predisposed to the dire impact of the virus.

In terms of vulnerability, she said that Guyana also faces geographical challenges, whereby many communities in need are located far away from the capital where supplies and medical assistance are more readily available.

Limited modes of transportation and seasonal flooding also add to the challenge of indigenous peoples accessing medical support from the single regional hospital in Lethem, Region Nine.

While some may see the region’s distance from Georgetown, the capital — reputedly the epicenter of COVID-19 — as a good thing, McTurk explained that many Indigenous communities are instead closer to neighbouring Brazil, which has the highest number of recorded COVID-19 cases and deaths in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Brazil accounts for more than half of the region’s COVID-19 cases.

VOLUNTARY ACTION

As such, utilising the monetary and physical donations, the NGOs set themselves into voluntary action with no salaries or payments being subtracted from the funds received.

From domestic donors, the team has already received a range of supplies fit for cleaning and sanitising as well as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and over 1,500 reusable face coverings.

Earlier in this month, the team worked to prepare kits for Community Health Centres to help frontline workers stay safe. Each health centre kit contains surgical masks and gloves, protective gowns, reusable masks, disinfectants, hand sanitisers, a small sprayer bottle, a touchless thermometer and COVID-19 awareness posters.

Added to this, 29 emergency evacuation kits were also prepared for communities which may have to transport infected persons to hospital for testing and care. These kits include protective suits, gloves, masks, face shields, hand sanitizers, sanitizing spray, wipes and a piece of plastic and duct tape to create a barrier between drivers and patients.

VILLAGE COUNCIL KITS

Village Council kits were also catered for which included masks for distribution and other sanitisation and handwashing materials.

The team members spent the weekend of August 10, packing a truck — provided by the Region Nine Regional Democratic Council — filled with donations for the first delivery to some 29 communities.

The truck also carried food relief; sanitation and PPE for the Lethem Regional Hospital; sanitation fluid and thermometers to an additional communities donated by the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA); 200 cases of juice donate by DSL Cash & Carry and assorted food supplies including 10 cases of chowmein donated by Beharry’s Group of companies.

Other donations came from the Private Sector Commission (PSC), the Carib Group of Companies, Food For the Poor (Guyana), Banks DIH, Atta Lodge and even political parties such as A New and United Guyana (ANUG) and The Citizenship Initiative (TCI). Education materials were also handed over by the Ministry of Education.

It took three days and two nights for the truck of supplies to maneuver its way to Lethem, especially along poor conditions of the Linden to Lethem road, but eventually it arrived in the Region Nine town.

From there, the items were transported to villages with the help of the KMCRG and SRDC which took about a week. McTurk said there are many more communities desperate for these modest starter kits.

However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the second delivery remains tentative.

“Because of the lockdown, the second delivery will probably be early next month. We had actually hoped to have it delivered before the end of this month but with the new lockdown we’re not too certain if we can make that deadline,” she said.

Nonetheless, the public is being urged to continue giving. McTurk said: “Even though we’ve already sent support to 29 communities, there are so many more communities who are calling us and asking us even for basic things.”

Eírîpan and its partners hope to provide support to as many villages across the Rupununi as possible through their GoFundMe project. Meanwhile, local donors who wish to join in have the option to make direct deposits to the Republic Bank Limited Checking Account # 962956709687 and can contact the team directly at +592 6113181.