Georgetown – The U.S. Embassy Humanitarian Assistance Program (HAP), collaborating with Regional Government Officials, reached out to isolated indigenous communities throughout Regions 1 and 7 to provide educational aid, clothes and shoe donations, toothbrushes, and medical relief. Donation items were graciously provided by both U.S. and Guyana-based Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), to include Food for the Poor, Guyana Medical Relief, and Global Grins, while medications were funded by HAP. All efforts to distribute the goods and services were through Regional Education and Health Offices, as well as local doctors working in Georgetown and the towns of Port Kaituma and Matthews Ridge. In Region 7, HAP Guyana conducted an education-focused donation through the Regional Education Office. Mr. Charles Holmes, Region 7 Education Officer, facilitated boat transportation to the indigenous communities of Batavia, Falmouth, St. Mary’s Quarry, and Wineperu. The outreach distributed graphic educational aids, textbooks, teacher study guides, and reading and writing materials to each community. Students also received children’s shoes, clothes, and toothbrushes to take home to their families. The donation reached 246 students throughout the four primary schools.
In Region 1, HAP conducted a medical outreach between the towns of Port Kaituma, Sebai, Fallstop, and Arakaka. The Region 1 Democratic Council recognizes the logistical challenges in providing medical services to the various communities spread out through the Matarkai sub-district, which stretches from Port Kaituma to Matthews Ridge. In order to enhance the impact of the 14 doctors in Region One, Regional Health Officer Cerdel Mcwatt facilitated the HAP’s efforts to transport local doctors to Port Kaituma, Sebai, Fallstop, and Arakaka, impacting 512 patients over the course of three days. Resident doctors at Port Kaituma and Matthews Ridge Hospitals were instrumental in assessing major health issues within the respective villages, such as malaria, gastroenteritis, and upper respiratory tract infections. Dr. Damian Fraser, Head Doctor at Matthews Ridge, was able to assist with the movement of one pregnant patient from Arakaka to Matthews Ridge Hospital. In addition to treating patients for various ailments, the medical team was able to perform over 100 tooth extractions throughout the course of the outreach.
Medical and educational outreaches through the Humanitarian Assistance Program represent a core component of the U.S Embassy’s continuing commitment to work with the Government of Guyana at the central, regional, and local government levels to support enhanced public health and enduring education for the people of Guyana. HAP is an initiative under the U.S. Embassy to assist Guyana’s communities, particularly in underserved regions, in the areas of social, economic and medical development. HAP works to bring together multiple local and international agencies to reach common goals.