IN observance of Children’s Grief Awareness Month, the Guyana Golden Lives Organisation (GGLO), will be hosting a series of events aimed at bringing awareness to child bereavement locally.

Each November, Children’s Grief Awareness Month is observed, with events that seek to encourage everyone to listen and show support to children who are grieving.

Their ultimate mission is to offer a range of services, including counselling, support groups, and other forms of assistance to help individuals honour their loved ones and find comfort in community.

Founder of GGLO, Marva Langevine, in a recent interview with the Guyana Chronicle said that her organisation in addition to bringing awareness to childhood bereavement in Guyana, provides support to children and families affected by grief.

This is done through the provision of support services specifically created to respond to the psychological, emotional and financial challenges of children and families recovering from the loss of a parent(s) or loved ones. The vision is to provide comfort and support to children and adults from all backgrounds who have suffered grief and loss.

Among the activities this year will be the launch of ‘Camp Golden’, a grief camp for children and teens. The last grief camp was hosted before the COVID-19 pandemic and stood as a profound healing experience for participants. Despite the pandemic, GGLO continued to reach out and provide support virtually, maintaining vital connections and extending their care.

Camp Golden will be held on November 18, in collaboration with the British High Commission.
In addition to this, there will be a social media campaign which will focus on child bereavement, the way children and adults can cope with this issue, and how their supporters can be there for them.

GGLO also plans to have a mental health corner at a few hospitals with literary resources on the many ways one can handle challenges associated with child grief.

As of now, this year’s activities will be held in Regions Three and Four.

Langevine told this publication that through the social media campaign they will try to reach as many people as possible.

Children’s Bereavement Day is celebrated on the third Thursday in November annually and she used the opportunity to encourage persons to wear blue clothing or something that is blue to show support for grieving children on that day.

“And if they can, have a talk with staff or students on child bereavement, childhood grief. Let them know that the loss of someone important in a child’s life can have a significant impact on them,” she said.

GGLO is a non-governmental organisation, anchored in the belief that healing from grief is a journey that benefits from compassionate support and mutual understanding.

It advocates for and works toward creating a more sustainable grief-support network with programmes that promote positive coping skills and help nurture resilience, while providing a safe space for children and teens to explore and express their grief.

GGLO’s programmes and activities include: grief counselling, grief recovery, trauma-informed interventions, grief camps, picnic/movie dates and home visits. In the area of education there are scholarships, workshops and training. (Faith Greene)