For Uyelene Lancaster, the opportunity to transform children’s lives means delivering quality education at the nursery level to shape meaningful teaching and learning experiences that can positively impact how children grow and develop.

In her view, a nursery environment is critical to nurturing a child’s physical, mental and emotional well-being, and for this reason, she continues to earnestly invest in building the educational pathways of young children at the Whim Nursery School.

“As an educator, it is really fulfilling to hear the responses of children and their parents about the lessons you teach and what they have learned,” said Lancaster, the Graduate Senior Mistress who has been teaching at the nursery school for over six years. She revealed that building a professional teaching career had not been a plan she intentionally pursued; however, she is proud to have amassed over twenty years in the profession thus far. Lancaster is also a graduate of the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) and she holds a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Guyana (UG).

Moreover, she pointed out that the primary aim of teachers at the nursery school is to contribute toward early childhood education and development by engaging daily with the children enrolled in a wide range of learning lessons and activities, particularly centred on the renewed curriculum implemented by the Ministry of Education – Guyana in collaboration with the National Center for Educational Resource Development (NCERD).

“The Government and NCERD would have come up with this educational initiative to bring play back into the nursery system,” she mentioned before, noting that Whim Nursery is one of the pilot schools in Region Six for the curriculum that involves additional child-oriented class sessions and activities.

“As teachers, the first thing we do is try to understand what a child’s mindset is like for the day. We sit with them, we ask them how they’re doing and even, what they ate for breakfast,” she said. In many instances, these interactions help to establish a healthy bond between teachers and children in the six classes at the school that is also crucial to the teaching and learning dynamics in a child’s educational journey.

Additionally, Lancaster indicated that the curriculum also provides the capacity for teachers to become innovative and creative in the delivery of the lessons and this allows the children to be expressive in their ideas while doing activities such as drawing diagrams or singing nursery rhymes. “Learning is supposed to be fun and we try to ensure that happens here,” she said.

Strengthening Child Care Services in the Whim Community
With an aim to keep children safe and protected from different forms of abuse and violence, Phillina Singh, Senior Officer (a.g) and Probation and Social Services Officer at the Whim Child Care Office under the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, is determined to work in the interest of promoting the rights of children.

“We work with vulnerable children. We want to give children a voice and we want to represent them and ensure that they are safe,” expressed Singh, who told this publication that it is important to collaborate with the wider community in strengthening child care and protection services for safeguarding children.

As a result, she revealed that the agency ‘does not work in isolation’ but rather it networks with several governmental as well as non-governmental agencies and faith-based organisations and leaders in communities to keep children safe. “We work with the police and thankfully, the police station is across the road from our office. We collaborate with agencies such as the hospitals and other health facilities and community groups such as the St Francis Community Developers. We lean on religious leaders to assist us in working with children,” she said.
Singh went on to share that the social services team at Whim also liaisons with agencies such as ChildLink to provide counselling services to children, as well as women and men who suffer from abuse and violence. “We liaison also with the private business community for immediate assistance and support,” she noted.

Even though she revealed that there is a need for additional resources in the field, this does not impede the team from advocating for the rights of children and striving to ensure that every child gets access to a safe and secure environment.

She added that another component of child rights advocacy is stressing the need for responsible media reporting on issues relating to children to avoid narrating stories that can re-traumatise children in the future.

At the moment, Singh supervises the Corriverton Child Care offices located in the Region Six district. The Whim office is open weekly on Mondays to Thursdays at 8:00 AM to 4:30 AM and on Fridays at 8:00 AM to 3:30 AM.

Persons can contact the Whim Child Care office on telephone number: +592 337-2667 or 337-2364 and the Corriverton Child Care office at +592 335-3051. There is also a 24-hour Region Six hotline: +592 623-1788.

Healthcare Access in Whim Village
Roxanne Hintzen is driven by a passion for caring for people while ‘working with her hands’ and this has acted as a catalyst for her growth as a Registered Nurse/Midwife at the Whim Health Centre after venturing into the nursing career over twenty years ago.

She highlighted that as the primary health facility in Whim, it is top-priority to provide healthcare access daily to the community.

In addition, Hintzen highlighted that the services offered at the Whim Health Centre include a monthly Chronic Illness clinic on the first and third Tuesdays as well as on Fridays; Antenatal Care clinic on Tuesdays; Family Planning services on Wednesdays and Thursdays and preschool checkups on Fridays. The health centre also provides vaccinations for children and adults, and it is also open weekly to walk-in patients with different illnesses.

Presently, the health centre comprises rooms for vaccinations, examinations, antenatal and postnatal care, counselling and family planning, a doctor’s room, restrooms and a waiting area for patients.