WITH the aim of reducing the prevalence of chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension, the Roraima Learning Trust Inc., funded by the Greater Guyana Initiative (GGI), launched their “Enhancing Community Wellness Pilot Project” last Wednesday at the 3T EnerMech (ODITC) Training Centre at Lusignan, East Coast Demerara (ECD).
Founder of Roraima Learning, Kojo Parris, told the Sunday Chronicle that even though he lives primarily in South Africa, he has always been concerned about the number of people getting on and off an aircraft in a wheelchair, and Guyana was no exception.

According to him, the health initiative stemmed from a realisation that it doesn’t matter how economically advanced “we” may become, unless the people of the country are in the best of health.
“However much oil or gold we have, unless we have amazing people, people who are healthy, emotionally stable, and really focus on making sure that they live a full and healthy life, then we can become the best that we are as a country. This is what our programme is about; it’s aligning our health and wellness with the broader potential that we have across the economy,” Parris explained.

He noted that 150 people between the villages of Plaisance and Enmore signed up for the challenge of improving their eating habits (food intake), exercise routines, and mental health. According to him, the participants obtained pertinent information through their WhatsApp and Facebook groups.
Considering that the initiative was a success, Parris emphasized, “it doesn’t matter how smart, wealthy or good you are at sports, you have to constantly be careful and be mindful of your health and wellness. And if you are careless with your health, it can easily lead you to your grave.”

Because of the programme’s success, Parris said there are plans to make it a countrywide initiative.
Meanwhile, a representative of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Michael Perreira, explained that such initiatives are very important, given that there is a “high rate in the Americas of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.”

Dr. Perreira applauded the initiative: “We in the health sector are advocating and promoting the need for our people, especially the youths, to eat healthier so that they can avoid these diseases. It is not just about eating well, but we have to also consider or look at the other risk factors that can cause other illnesses.”
The winner of the weight loss competition, Turandia Cathrupaul, related that she has not only lost weight and inches off her waistline, but she feels more energized.

“I am a cleaner at the Lusignan Primary School, and that is where I filled out the form and signed up for the programme. I joined because I wanted to be healthier. As women, many of us put ourselves last; we take care of the kids and family, and then we think about ourselves. I just had a baby seven months ago, and I will tell you it is not easy, but if you put your mind to it, it will happen. That is what I am doing, and I will continue to do so on my health journey. It is worth it.”

Additionally, the project manager, Stephen Patterson, explained that the initiative aims to include people who represent Guyana’s demographics.

According to him, “The grouping itself as a whole should mirror Guyana’s population distribution in terms of ethnicity, age, gender, level of income, and the socio-economic aspect of it as well. The project uses waistline measurement and weight as signifiers of the participants’ progress. In addition to the social media grouping, we’ve begun to meet with them on a face-to-face basis, where they get to interact with each other at the group level, and we also take measurements there just to monitor the progress over the pilot project period.”