CAROL Earle is the president of the not-for-profit organisation, Community Open-Door Alliance (CODA), and it is her way of giving back to the community through volunteerism.
She related that CODA is a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) initiated to fulfill one purpose: Community capacity building.

CODA fosters relations with residents, among other stakeholders, to work for a common good as it addresses human and community capacity building.
Earle, a mother of one and a grandmother of four resides at Buxton, East Coast Demerara. She is a seamstress by profession.
The 66-year-old told the Pepperpot Magazine that the NGO is mostly self-supported, but would partner with other organisations to raise funds, and accepts donations.

“Often, we would use our own money to assist as we see fit, based on need. But we have had a few organisations step in to help us along the way, and we appreciate that, and look forward to continued partnerships to make communities such as Tiger Bay a better place for young people and residents in general,” she said.
Earle disclosed that they had donated six laptops from Digicel Guyana and backpacks with school supplies for the children of Tiger Bay, their focus area.

Currently, CODA doesn’t have an office space, and they are operating out of The Theatre Guild, on Parade Street, Kingston, and would host training sessions and other gatherings there.
Earle said that CODA was formed two years ago. They have had their inactive times, but would always regroup without quitting, since the active members are very cooperative. Together, they’ve assisted 50 children and youths of Tiger Bay, one of the country’s many depressed communities.

As President of CODA, Earle said the organisation would like to outfit the children with football gear and uniforms, so they can compete with small teams in competitions.
She related that the children are very willing to learn, and would show up at every session, including the classroom ones. Some would even show up barefoot, because they want to learn something.

Earle told the Pepperpot Magazine that they do not want to burden parents with providing sports gear and other things for the children, so, this year, they will try to get an organisation to assist with that. She noted that they are also re-starting Mathematics, English, cosmetology and computer classes.
Recalling how she got involved with CODA, Earle said that some years ago, a class was held by Community Activist/Volunteer Nadia Mohamed-Persaud, whereby they met, and have been fostering capacity building ever since, especially for the children of Tiger Bay.

“You must love what you do, or it will be difficult to lend so much of your time to volunteerism. And I do it without expecting anything, from the heart. I am empowered to help others; always have been big on assisting the less fortunate. And that is how I want to spend my life; building others to become all they can be,” she said.

Earle explained that as a mother and grandmother, she wants to lend a helping hand to make a difference in the community, because she has a daughter who gave her four grandchildren, and she doesn’t know what can happen so she wants to play a role in changing lives.
Apart from volunteering, Earle is a full-time seamstress, and would allot time to everything, since she is an early riser who prepares daily meals, completes household chores, and starts sewing until she finishes all the work.

“I like sewing; it was what my mother did, and I stood by and learned a lot from her. It was the way we connected, and I wanted to sew to earn as well,” she said.
Of the five siblings, she is the only daughter, and she has liked sewing from a young age. She mastered the art in her teenage years. In Buxton, she is well-known, and is called “Aunty Carol,” a household name in the village and its environs.

Earle said that with its theme, ‘catalyst for community development’, the organisation has partnered with several entities, including but not limited to Justice Corp (Guyana) Inc., NGOS Network, Eletra, Pan Arts Association of Guyana and others in the execution of skills training, sports, literacy and numeracy classes, as well as computer technology and arts training.

She reported that training was done in Regions Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), Four (Demerara-Mahaica), Five (Mahaica-West Berbice), Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), and Ten (Upper Demerara-Berbice) since its formation in 2015, when it had done its first programme in Kuru Kururu, as more than 104 participants had attended.
Earle stated that the training programme was led by the first and then President, Ms. Gloria Noble, a resident of the said community.

The Board consists of five executive members: President, Ms. Carol Earle; Vice- President Ms. Julya Apple; Secretary, Mr. Joseph Anthony; Treasurer, Ms. Seeta Accra; and Asst. Secretary-Treasurer, Ms. Samola Norton.
Earle said the mission of CODA is through innovative practices, seeking to merge with the relevant administration to eliminate community ills; make way for community capacity building; create opportunities at the various levels to further enhance the livelihood of the citizens, do sd to enable them to give back to their respective communities.

She related that the present project that is taking place to benefit youths and residents of the South Georgetown area is one that commenced on April 11, 2022, and at that phase, it was specifically done to assess the needs of the residents, mainly the children and youths in the said area.

That phase consisted of various training programmes, including but not limited to literacy and numeracy, computer training, cosmetology, catering, sewing, and public speaking.

The training programme, she reported, continues with sports and arts training. The sport, football, is being done at the Burnham Basketball Court. During Phase One, where 50 participants took part in “We are Gutsy”, a USA-based NGO character-building camp held at St. Stanislaus College in late August 2022.

The beneficiaries also enjoyed a special Christmas party among their regular attendance during the said period at the “One with Me Ministry’ in Newtown Kitty.

Earle said that in 2023, they continued to practice and enjoy social capacity-building and coping skills. They enjoyed a summer camp held in August in collaboration with El Dorado Tours, among other programmes as they closed off the year with a special Christmas treat on Saturday, December 30 at the Theatre Guild.

“In 2024, we will seek to further improve the programmes offered to them in areas such as health and safety, hygiene and personal growth as we continue with the general training; literacy, numeracy, computer, sports and arts, among other impromptu workshops,” she said.