HEALTHY conflict resolution is a major component of maintaining pleasant and respectful relations among peoples and parties. To this end, the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security has embarked on an initiative to train more than 30 faith-based leaders in the art of effective conflict resolution.
These members of the religious community, along with several of the ministry’s staff, were trained during a one-day workshop on Conflict Resolution hosted on Saturday at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, located at Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara.
These religious leaders are also members of the ministry’s Support and Heal Network’ which was recently formalised to address a plethora of social issues being experienced by vulnerable groups and communities across Guyana.

The sessions were facilitated by staff from the ministry’s Gender Affairs Bureau (GAB), and are part of a series of “train the trainers” workshops being tailored to improve the capacity of the aforementioned network. The training is also expected to strengthen existing support and counselling programmes being offered by the Human Services and Social Security Ministry.
In her remarks to the participants, subject minister, Dr. Vindhya Persaud, underscored the significance of properly resolving conflict since “little things can be blown out of proportion, and cause rupture in our society.”
It was to this end that Dr. Persaud emphasised the important role of both the network as well as the wider ministry in ensuring that conflict resolution remains an integral component of its operations.

“Support is a very powerful word. Many persons find themselves in very difficult circumstances, and they have no support. Without support things can escalate very quickly, from the lack of support they can become violent. Without support, people can spiral quickly into depression. Without a network of persons, sometimes people feel as if they’re alone in the world,” Dr. Persaud said.
She noted that the Human Services Ministry is optimistic that the session will directly address some of the societal ills, including the increased reportage of violence being committed against women and children. The minister opined that many of the reported cases would have arisen from unresolved conflict, fueled by lack of understanding.
“Conflict is something that should never fester in anyone to cause it to widen to such an extent where someone cannot sit and have rational, reasonable conversations,” Dr. Persaud surmised.

She said, too, that it is imperative for faith-based leaders to understand the varying perspectives of issues as they engage communities.
“Understanding is a very tough thing to achieve. You might have a world of respect, but you may not understand another’s perspective. But, our mandate after this training will be to heal in a tangible way. Heal with empathy and compassion,” Minister Persaud charged.
So far, Dr. Persaud, accompanied by members of the network, has been reaching out to victims of various tragedies, to provide comfort and offer support.
Established in September 2020, the Support and Heal Network is the brainchild of Dr. Persaud, who wanted to see the faith-based and religious communities play a more heightened role in promoting peace, respect and harmony in Guyana. The network has been given the go-ahead to make recommendations and devise strategies that seek to effectively support the ministry’s work on varying social issues.

According to a statement issued by the ministry on Sunday afternoon, in excess of two dozen religious organisations are involved in the voluntary programme. These include the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana; the Guyana Islamic Trust; Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha; Guyana Pandits Council; Guyana Central Arya Samaj; Roman Catholic Church of Guyana; Assemblies of God; New Testament Church of God; Revealed Word Christian Centre; Guyana Conference of Seventh Day Adventists; Anglican Diocese Guyana; Inter Religious Organisation of Guyana; The Salvation Army of Guyana; The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints; Guyana Rastafari Council; Maha Sabha; National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Guyana; Guyana United Apostolic Mystical Council; Full Gospel Church – Guyana; Guyana Presbyterian Church; Guyana Lutheran Church; Guyana Brethren Church; Guyana Ahmadiyya Anjuman Isha’at-l-Islam (Lahore); Guyana Wesleyan Church; the Hare Krishna Movement; and the Guyana Islamic Forum.