THE Guyana Council of Organisations for Persons with Disabilities (GCOPD), on Tuesday, received a timely donation from JSL International to boost its virtual independence living skills camp.
The camp, which was officially launched on Monday, is an overarching initiative by the GCOPD to promote the empowerment and impendence of young persons with disabilities through innovative learning sessions.
Speaking to media operatives at the simple handing-over ceremony held at JSL International’s Prashad Nagar office, GCOPD Programme Coordinator, Ganesh Singh, highlighted that almost 50 youths are participating in the five-day virtual event.
“We have approximately 48 young persons with disabilities joining the virtual camp from Regions One, Two, Three, Five, Six and 10. So, we have persons from seven out of the 10 regions and these are all young persons with varying types of disabilities.”

Filled with a series of informative sessions and fun activities, Singh said the project aim is to build the capacity of the participants and provide them with an enabling environment so that they can be more independent.
“We will have sessions in sexual abuse, drugs, mental health awareness, public speaking. We will also have sessions on career guidance and we will also have sessions on child abuse and a number of other sessions including virtual tours of historical places. We will also have comedy sessions, so it is a mix of fun activities and interesting learning,” he said. Singh, who is also a well-known advocate for persons with disabilities, noted that the response to the event has been surprisingly overwhelming with many positive responses and donations.

“When we started, the excitement was overwhelming. We did not expect for a virtual camp …children would be so enthusiastic and would participate so much. So, it is something that we felt really good about. It’s a really novel concept and one that we hope to replicate in the future to provide more young persons with the opportunity to be a part of this initiative.” Singh further thanked JSL for their donations of t-shirts and other educational materials that will aid in the execution of the virtual event.
Meanwhile, JSL International representative, Renatta Bovell, said that the company will be collaborating with the GCOPD to foster a partnership and sponsor similar events. “We plan to foster a partnership with Mr. Ganesh and his team to ensure that we are working closely with his organisation in whatever area we can support as a company. I think that we will be able to work on more projects in the future. We will be able to partner with Mr. Ganesh and his team with a lot more as we grow as a company.” Bovell added: “I am delighted to be presenting to Mr. Ganesh and his team these items that will be supporting these young minds in their virtual camp.”