FOR the soul Guyana, a non-governmental organisation and youth group, on Christmas Day donated a number of food hampers and toys to residents of Mon Repos, on the East Coast Demerara, and Sophia in Greater Georgetown.

President of the organisation, Kareem Mackenzie said the children were presented with toys of various kinds, while the adults were given food hampers comprising of flour, sugar, milk rice and canned items. Some 120 toys and 80 food hampers were distributed during the exercise.

Mackenzie said that the exercise is the organisation’s third project, as the second was a ‘back to school drive’ on the West Bank of Demerara, which was done with the aim of bringing joy to the children and relief to families in the region in light of COVID-19.

“Through the kind and generous assistance of ExxonMobil, Namilco and other donors, we were able to spread some Christmas cheer,” Mackenzie said, adding: “Our vision is to partner with the community, business, and government to strive for excellence in meeting the needs of the ‘Total Person’, body, mind and spirit, through the provision of supportive, recreational, cultural, sports and welfare programmes.”

Mackenzie said the group plans to roll out several initiatives of this nature during 2021. Meanwhile, founder of the youth organisation, Tianna Graham expressed satisfaction with the way the group has evolved over the past year.

She highlighted that the group was solely established to give young people a safe space to express themselves without fear of judgment, and to foster a spirit of leadership. The organisation aims to foster and develop increased learning and development in the empowerment of women and youth, through encouraging and supporting them to contribute, steer activities and lead their own “Soul session” projects.

Though most of the work is voluntary, special emphasis is placed on the training of young people to become peer educators, counselors, social activists, and youth leaders. The organisation supports the advancement of gender equality, social education, and equipping young people with the necessary skills and attitudes that may be considered an asset on their journey to become youth leaders.