— through efforts of the Guyana Council of Organisations for Persons With Disabilities

In response to the difficulties faced by persons with disabilities (PWDs), especially due to the COVID pandemic, the Guyana Council of Organisations for Persons with Disabilities (GCOPD) started its food-hamper programme in May 2020.

GCOPD is a non-governmental organisation that represents the majority of PWDs across Guyana, working in areas of advocacy and capacity-building.

“GCOPD recognises PWDs financial challenges and poverty situations. The majority of PWDs are unemployed with limited sources of a stable income. Because of these factors, GCOPD decided to continue the programme of distributing food hampers periodically to the most vulnerable PWDs,” programme co-ordinator, Ganesh Singh, said.

He added that the programme has been extremely helpful to PWDs since it contributes to the reduction of financial burden and the worry of source of funds to purchase basic necessities. Notably, with the help of the hampers, PWDs can utilise their limited funds for other expenses.

Hampers mainly include food, cooking and cleaning supplies. In addition to these, Christmas hampers spread cheer for PWDs with edible goodies enjoyed during the season.

“The programme is mainly funded by members of the private sector and private citizens. The Government of Guyana through the Office of the Prime Minister and the Civil Defence Commission have also been a significant partner in this programme. The Guyana Logistics and Support Services Company (GLASS) has been the largest private sector donor to the programme over the years without any fanfare,” Singh pointed out.

Hampers are distributed to the most vulnerable PWDs in Regions Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven and 10. The number of bags depends on the level of support received for each hamper drive. Basically, an increase in funding equals more hampers. Usually, 100 hampers are distributed. For the Christmas season, a total of 180 hampers were handed out across the aforementioned regions.

“The overarching goal of the programme is to help subsidise the limited income of PWDs, thereby enhancing their standard of living and providing some level of food security to this vulnerable group,” Singh expressed.

The programme co-ordinator is hopeful that GCOPD can get more support so that the organisation can distribute hampers on a monthly basis. Also, companies and individuals can “sponsor” a family by contributing in whatever way they can.

GCOPD welcomes donation of grocery items or financial support. Persons can contact GCOPD on 231-7976 or 652-8975 or visit Guyana Council of Organisations for Persons with Disabilities on Facebook.