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Guyana has potential to dominate Caribbean’s tourism sector – Ali

July 20, 2012 By

- EZjet makes inaugural Guyana -Toronto flight

By: Melinda Bishundyal

Passengers on Tuesday took full advantage of EZjet Inc’s inaugural flight to Toronto. In this photo, passengers could be seen boarding the EZjet aircraft at the Cheddi Jagan Airport

EZjet Air Services Incorporated inaugural flight to Toronto, Canada, took off Tuesday afternoon from the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) with some 98 passengers.
The flight was launched after a formal ceremony in the airport’s executive lounge. The Boeing 767-200 series aircraft has 218 seats.  A return ticket to Canada costs US$650, while a one way ticket costs US$375.
EZjet started its service to New York on December 16 last year. Since then, it has flown 300 flights in 3600 hours, and transported 31,000 passengers to and from Guyana.
Owner of the aircraft Sonny Ramdeo said he is excited about the new undertaking, and aims to make Guyana a tourism destination through his service. He pointed out that EZjet has set a high standard of services, and he has every intention to maintain and possibly raise it.
Acting Tourism Minister Irfaan Ali stated that discussions surrounding direct flights to and from Canada started months ago, and he is pleased that it has materialised. He claimed that the Tourism Ministry fully supports such a venture as it will help to boost the tourism industry, and open up great potential.
“This will allow us to compete strategically with other markets in the Caribbean that attract potential tourists,” said the minister. “The average growth in the airline industry projects four to five per cent annually over the next 15 years. And the traffic in Latin American and Caribbean islands is expected to triple by 2030,” Ali added.
He further challenged EZjet to invest in an aircraft that will provide direct flights to Trinidad and Tobago, and Barbados and back.  The minister claimed that whilst the government is happy about EZjet’s moment, it continues to aggressively seek after other airlines. The airlines include Jet Blue, Virgin Atlantic, West Jet of Canada, Wings

CJIA CEO Ramesh Ghir; Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana David Devine; EZjet owner Sonny Ramdeo; Acting Tourism Minister Irfaan Ali; Transport Minister Robeson Benn; Guyana Civil Aviation Authority CEO Zulfikar Mohammed and Ogle International Airport Public Relations Consultant Kit Nascimento

Aviation Flight Jamaica and British Airways. According to him, Guyana has the potential to dominate the tourism sector in the Caribbean.
Meanwhile, Transport Minister Robeson Benn lauded Ramdeo for seeing it fitting to return to his country of birth and provide a service that will develop Guyana through tourism.
He added that the low fares are a blessing to Guyanese who could not afford travelling to the north in the past. He also praised the quality of service the airline offers.

Filed Under: News

Third edition of Business Guyana Magazine launched

July 20, 2012 By

Prime Minister Samuel Hinds and GCCI President Clinton Urling unveil the new magazine

The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) last week launched the third edition of the Business Guyana Magazine at a ceremony held at the Pegasus Hotel.
Prime Minister Samuel Hinds was in attendance at the event where it was highlighted that Business Guyana Magazine 2012, is an investor’s guide to doing business in Guyana, and is an annual publication by the GCCI, with the target audience being potential domestic or international investors. It contains information that would guide them towards establishing a business in Guyana.
According to a Government Information Agency (GINA) release, the keynote address was delivered by Chinese Ambassador to Guyana Yu Wenzhe, who recognised that the GCCI is one of the oldest private sector organisations established in Guyana for the promotion of trade and investment, which has, over the years, played a positive role to the social and economic progress of Guyana.
Ambassador Wenzhe, speaking directly to the China-Guyana economic and trade relations and the future of the relationship, explained that the two countries, over the past 40 years, have treated each other as partners of equality and mutual benefit, supporting each other in spite of the changes in the international situation.
“Our bilateral trade was US$ 147 million in 2011, an increase of 46.3 per cent… our economic cooperation has extended from infrastructure, agriculture, timber and minerals to the field of modern technology, such as ICT,” Ambassador Wenzhe explained.
He added that Chinese direct investment in Guyana reached US$ 183 million last year, whilst business exchanges and contacts have gained momentum.
“More than 30 Guyanese entrepreneurs attended the Canton Trade Fair last spring and four Chinese companies participated in the just concluded third International Building Expo of Guyana,” Ambassador Wenzhe said. He added that members of the business community are dynamic players in China-Guyana relations, as their direct involvement invigorated China-Guyana cooperation.
Lokesh Singh, publisher, Business Guyana Magazine 2012, said his company is particularly pleased to be associated with the GCCI in the publication of this issue of the magazine.

Chinese Ambassador to Guyana Yu Wenzhe delivering the keynote address at the GCCI dinner

He added that over the three years, his company has been successful at building a relationship with the GCCI, which has yielded benefits, as the magazine generates a majority of their income, which achieves GCCI’s objectives.
“With regard to the business Guyana publication, we have seen this project grow in the past three years… it has now positioned itself across the market as the predominant publication for use by anyone interested in investing in the business sector in this country… it is being used by both the public and private sector in presenting this country to potential business investors,” Singh said.
President and chairman of the Trade and Investment Committee, GCCI, Clinton Urling spoke of the steps to develop such a publication, and the many adversities the project has outlived to now become a leading source of income for the chamber.
The magazine which is the brainchild of Urling, offers its readers insight into the local operations of businesses, based on the perspective of figureheads in the business community, including Ramesh Dookhoo, past chairman of the Private Sector Commission.

Filed Under: News

“New parliamentary dispensation has not delivered” – Nandlall

July 20, 2012 By

AFC Chairman Khemraj Ramjattan

Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall said government is not pleased with the proceedings in the National Assembly, stating that the opposition is abusing the process and, in some instances violating the laws of Guyana. On the issue of parliamentary motions moved by the opposition, the attorney general stated that they are seeking to do a number of irrelevant things, most of which do not require a motion.
Pointing to the fact that some of the motions sought to demand information, he explained that the way is already established for the parliamentary process to serve this end.
Nandlall said that an opposition could simply ask a question of a minister during the sitting of the Assembly, or use the Parliamentary Standing Committees, which are now dominated by the opposition. These committees have the power to compel or subpoena any documents required, and such procedures can allow for all the information required, most of which are available to the public.
Almost all public entities, ministries, etc. have documents in relation to their respective offices in the public domain, while the auditor general annually audits their financial accounts, and his report is presented to the National Assembly.
Abuse of parliamentary process
The parliamentary process is being abused, misused and manipulated to score political points the AG declared, adding that it is “a sham and a veneer” that is created to fool the public that there is an active opposition in the Parliament, and they have the government under pressure.
Reiterating that all information required can be supplied using the existing mechanisms in and out of Parliament, he stated that some of the motions sought to bring contracts to the National Assembly for review.
“The National Assembly has no jurisdiction over contracts. A contract is a binding document between the two parties who are signing them. Of course, there are different sections of the National Assembly through which questions on that type of document can be requested. But for the National Assembly as a body to sit and review contracts is not a power that the National Assembly has,” the AG explained.
Questioning the purpose of reviewing contracts, he added that the National Assembly has no power to annul, rescind, or do anything about the contract which remains a binding agreement between two parties.
With a battery of lawyers on the opposition’s side, “they either understand that, and they are manipulating, abusing and misusing the parliamentary process or they don’t understand it, and that is quite a distinct possibility,” the AG stated.
Motion violates law

Opposition Leader David Granger

A motion put forward by opposition MP Carl Greenidge of the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) sought to compel the Parliament and the government to deposit all monies which are held in extra budgetary funds into the Consolidated Fund. The motion was passed using the joint opposition one-seat majority.
AG Nandlall stated that the laws of Guyana along with the Constitution, created the Consolidated Fund.
He noted that there are different rules of law, accountancy and accounting principles which apply to the Consolidated Fund and extra budgetary funds.
“The extra budgetary fund clearly was established to be separate and apart from the Consolidated Fund. The Consolidated Fund was established by the Constitution. Article 216 says very clearly that all public monies must be deposited in the Consolidated Fund, save and except if a law says that it must be deposited elsewhere. For example, extra budgetary funds are for statutory agencies like the GGMC. These things are created by statute and the statutes that create them tell us where you must deposit the monies from these bodies.”
The AG pointed to the fact that the National Assembly is the forum through which laws come as bills in Parliament and are debated before receiving presidential concurrence to become law.
“So the National Assembly is very instrumental in the law making process, and if the National Assembly is in itself and by its own conduct violating the laws of the land, how does the National Assembly expect the ordinary man in the street to obey the law when they themselves are violating the law?” he questioned.
Speaker’s responsibility
AG Nandlall said he brought these points emphatically to the attention of the Speaker of the National Assembly Raphael Trotman.
“The Speaker is ultimately presiding over the National Assembly and is ultimately responsible for the way in which the National Assembly conducts itself,” he observed.

President Donald Ramotar

A Parliamentary majority does not authorise actions outside of the Constitution, “You are a creature of the Constitution, so you must act within the Constitution. A majority cannot allow you to act outside of the laws of Guyana. The Parliament is not above the Constitution. I believe that the Speaker understands that,” he stated.
“You cannot use a majority to arrogate the laws of the land; to allocate to yourself powers which you do not have as a National Assembly; to perform functions which you do not want as a National Assembly,” he said.
Pointing out that the National Assembly is moving another motion by APNU’s MP Carl Greenidge to set up a committee to review legislation, the AG stated clearly that the power to review legislation “is a power which resides in the court only”. He said the National Assembly is proposing to hear and debate a motion, the purpose of which is to set up a committee within the Assembly, of members to review a valid law which was passed by the National Assembly.
Responsibility of the legislature Nandlall declared that while the National Assembly cannot review its own laws, such a motion has been scheduled to be debated at the next sitting, and will no doubt be passed.
President and executive mandate

Parliament of Guyana

Referring to a statement made by President Donald Ramotar that he will not agree to any bill that has no input from the executive, AG Nandlall stated that this power to withhold assent of a bill, which has been passed through the National Assembly is a Constitutional freedom which the president has. He will then return that bill to the Speaker with a note of his reasons for not concurring.
He explained that a president, who is the head of the executive as in Guyana’s system, can do so, since the executive is responsible for administering and enforcing the laws of the country. The Parliament which consists of the National Assembly and the president is the body that makes the law; the judiciary interprets and applies the law while the executive administers and enforces the law.
Expectations
The new dispensation has not delivered; it has been a disaster is the view of the AG, “The Parliament of compromise and consensus has not been working so far, there has not been any effort from the other side.” He posited that the majority power enjoyed by the opposition, if used constructively and reasonably, can be a great one.
Unfortunately, he said it is being used as a weapon of vendetta, and political instrument to attack the government.
“The unfortunate thing is that ultimately persons who are suffering from this vicious use of this one-seat majority is the ordinary people of this country, which include their own supporters. But that fact seems to have been lost. One opposition party was so bold to say that it is collateral damage. It’s a most insensitive statement when one has regard to the devastating consequences that these actions are having, and will continue to have on the ordinary people.”

Filed Under: News, Politics

Guyana’s National Junior Squash team depart for Jamaica

July 20, 2012 By

By Melinda Bishundyal

The national junior squash team posing for a photo at the Georgetown Club

Guyana National Junior Squash team departs for Jamaica today to compete in the 30th Junior Caribbean Championship which runs from July 20-27.
Guyana are the defending champions; they won the male, female and overall titles last year. Guyana have won the tournament for the past seven years.
The singles will be contested from July 20-22. The team events will commence on July 23 and conclude on July 26.
The 14-member team include seven former Caribbean junior champions. The Girls team read: Mary Fung-a-Fat, Ashley DeGroot, Rebecca Lowe, Taylor Fernandes, Larissa Wiltshire, Victoria Arjoon, and Akeila Wiltshire.
The male team consist of Jason Ray Khalil, Ben Mekdeci, Patrick Fraser, Nyron Joseph, Hean Claude Jeffrey and Steven Xavier.
The Manager is Garfield Wiltshire, and the coach is Carl Ince, who is assisted by Tiffany Solomon.
According to the manager, the only concern is that some of the players who excelled last year have moved out of the junior category, and most of the current junior players have moved up in their age group category which means their competition will be stiffer.
“Most of the players will move up in age group, it will be a challenge for them but I’m sure they are up to it. The girl’s team members are stronger than the boy’s team, but the boys tend to come up with good surprises,” posited Wiltshire.
He added that the teams were well prepared and expectation are high. They have been training since April for at least three days a week.
When asked about his star players, Wiltshire said he expects Mary Fung-A-Fat and Ashley DeGroot to reach the final as both of them have improved tremendously. Fung-A-Fat and DeGroot are currently ranked number one and number two in the U-19 category.
He also has high hopes for Jason Ray Khalil and Nyron Joseph in the U-19 and U-17 categories respectively. Khalil won the U-17 last year while Joseph won the Caribbean U-15 championship last year. Wiltshire described Joseph as quick and extremely competitive and is ever improving.
Joseph told this publication that he is focused on winning, pointing out that he trained extremely hard especially on his fitness. This will be his second time competing in Jamaica; he did so in 2006 when he lost.
Meanwhile, the most improved female player, Ashley DeGroot who placed fifth last year, is confident about winning this year. She revealed that she is good form and she is excited about going to Jamaica and compete.
The team is sponsored mainly by Digicel. The company came in for high praises from President of the Guyana Squash Association, Andrew Arjoon. He thanked the sponsor for their support throughout the years.

Filed Under: Sports

Iconic Guyanese-Canadian Karateka Frank Woon-A-Tai

July 20, 2012 By

- hails success of inaugural International Karate Daigaku Shoto

By Ravendra Madholall

Famed in the Karate world, Guyanese-Canadian Frank Woon-A-Tai is extremely pleased to have hosted his first major international event with resounding success recently in Canada.
The inaugural 2012 International Karate Daigaku Shoto (IKDS) World Cup brought in excess of 650 competitors from around the globe to one venue (Ryerson University) to participate in a three-day tournament. Woon-A-Tai, who holds a dual citizenship with Canada and his native country, Guyana, was the Chief Instructor at the championship.
In an interview with Caribbean Times International Magazine at his home and doju (gym), located in the heart of Toronto, Woon-A-Tai said he believes the tournament united the athletes and helped them to cement stronger relationships.
While the event was his initiative, Woon-A-Tai said his colleagues, families and friends supported him greatly to make the tournament a success. Eighteen-months ago, he resigned as Chairman and Technical Director of the International Shotokan Karate Federation in Canada to establish the IKDS.
“After40 years of dedicated and loyal support to my teachers, I resigned from my former affiliations, not once, but twice, with my heartbroken in two pieces. Fortunately for me, true, unselfish friends lifted me up again and in time, my heartache ceased. With support, I rose again from the ashes like phoenix to reach to a level of satisfaction,” Woon-A-Tai declared.
According to the 62-year-old veteran Karateka, IKD has now embarked on a course that will take traditional karate-do into the digital 21st century by focusing on research and development.
“Among our programmes are: the introduction of red and blue gloves sparring gloves and belts that will make it easier to identify competitors; judges uniforms will be changed from shirt to tie under a kimono jacket known as a ‘haori’, which is a practical approach in keeping with tradition,” Woon-A-Tai explained.
Reflecting on the recent event at Ryerson University, Woon-A-Tai said he was impressed with the massive turn-out and more importantly the togetherness he witnessed among the karatekas.
A phenomenal fighter since he entered the sport of karate in 1964, Woon-A-Tai is rated a 10thDan karateta.
He migrated to Canada 32 years ago but still has time to serve and help build karate in Guyana. He is currently president of the Guyana Karate College (GKC).
Woon-A-Tai, who holds a B.A degree in Japanese Studies from the University of Toronto, said he is also very proud to know that he can still contribute significantly to Guyana’s Karatekas.
With construction of a Dujo building at Liliendaal, EastCoast Demerara in Guyana on a plot of land granted by former Guyanese President Bharrat Jagdeo, Woon-A-Tai is confident that this development will encourage other aspiring Karatekas to do greater things for Guyana in the near future.
“This should make a great impact for Karatekas in Guyana to take the sport more seriously.”
He added, “My main goal continues to be of service to young people throughout the world by helping them find direction in life, helping to keep them off drugs, and to break the cycle of crime and violence through the discipline of Karate training, so I think with this kind of project we can make our task a reality comfortably.”
He related that discipline, self-defence, good character, sincerity, dedication and self-control are the main factors to propel Karatekas to a philosophical level. The toughness of the game along with physicality, he pointed out, can make an eager individual prosperous.
With this in mind, the Karate master also disclosed that “On the academic and philosophical levels, IKD will focus on the educational system as in the Caribbean, especially at the University level as a credit course. In 2011, IKD received accreditation from the Guyana Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport. Our guiding principles in the Dojo Kun will help keep young people off drugs and the streets, show them direction in life generally.”
Woon-A-Tai said he will continue to travel around the world to assist with his teaching in this field. He has devoted a lot of time not only for the ascension of the sport in his homeland, Guyana, or his adapted country Canada, but also played pivotal role in the Caribbean as well. He previously served as president for the Caribbean Karate College.
His accomplishments date back to 1964, when Woon-A-Tai became a Karate student. He received his first black belt in 1971 from the JKA in Tokyo, and his eighth degree black belt from Masters Okazaki and Yaguchi, two Masters. He also received an ‘A class Instructor’, ‘A Class Examiner’, and ‘A Class judge’ licences at the same time.
In turn, he has produced thousands of black belt students ranging from first and seventh Dan as well as several international instructors, examiners and judges.
In2011, Woon-A-Tai received his greatest honour from the government of Guyana. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Service of Guyana and awarded the Medal Service for long and outstanding service as an exponent and trainer in martial arts at the national, regional and international levels by Jagdeo.

Filed Under: Sports Features

Barnwell, Bishoo named in WI T20 World Cup provisional squad

July 20, 2012 By

Devendra Bishoo

St. John’s, Antigua–West Indies have named Guyanese all-rounder Christopher Barnwell and legspinner Devendra Bishoo yesterday in a provisional 30-member squad for the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 to be staged in Sri Lanka in September. Bishoo has been named after being sidelined from the side for some months now.
The Berbician recently played for the West Indies A side against India A. Barnwell, a powerful hitter of the ball and a useful medium pacer, has been an on-again-off-again feature in the WI T20 side.
Meanwhile, temperamental left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn has inched his way even closer to a senior team recall after being named in a provisional 30-man West Indies squad. The 30-year-old Benn has been exiled from the senior squad for over a year following disciplinary problems during last year’s World Cup on the Asian subcontinent.
His spell in the wilderness ended last month when he was picked for West Indies A’s Twenty20 doubleheader against the touring India A in Trinidad.
The gangling Benn, who stands six-feet, seven-inches, was the regional side’s frontline spinner up until the World Cup. He picked up 12 wickets in six games at the World Cup before being dropped for right-arm leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo.
Benn is one of several spinners named in the provisional squad along with fellow left-arm spinners Nikita Miller and Garey Mathurin; leg-spinners Bishoo and Samuel Badree and off-spinners Sunil Narine and Shane Shillingford.
Fast bowler Tino Best, who has not been a part of the T20 set up, is among the squad.
There are no major surprises as the core members of the current limited over contingent were included.

Christopher Barnwell

A West Indies Cricket Board release on Wednesday said the squad would be trimmed to 15 players next month.
The World T20 Championship runs from September 18 to October 7 in Sri Lanka where West Indies play alongside Australia and Ireland in Zone B. Squad: Samuel Badree, Christopher Barnwell, Carlton Baugh Jr, Sulieman Benn, Tino Best, Devendra Bishoo, Nkrumah Bonner, Carlos Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Dwayne Bravo, Johnson Charles, Fidel Edwards, Chris Gayle, Danza Hyatt, Garey Mathurin, Nikita Miller, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard, Kieran Powell, Denesh Ramdin, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Darren Sammy, Marlon Samuels, Krishmar Santokie, Shane Shillingford, Lendl Simmons, Dwayne Smith and Devon Thomas
West Indies have been drawn with Australia and Ireland in Group-B of the competition.
The squad will be trimmed to a final 15 players next month.

Filed Under: Sports

Narine stars again as West Indies take series 4-1

July 20, 2012 By

The fifth one-dayer between West Indies and New Zealand had plenty of similarities to Saturday’s fourth ODI at Warner Park: West Indies chose to bat, the top order stumbled, one of their Twenty20 stars made the slowest ODI half-century of his career to anchor the innings, and then some pyrotechnics from Andre Russell took the home side towards 250.
The echoes of last Saturday continued during the chase, so much so that when seven overs were remaining, New Zealand needed exactly the same number of runs and had the same number of wickets in hand-50 runs and four wickets.
And once again, Sunil Narine showed how his temperament is as notable as his variations, spooking the New Zealand batsmen in the closing stages to engineer another West Indies victory.
A listless performance in the middle overs, with an abundance of dot balls and an inability to read Narine had seemingly fatally hurt New Zealand’s chances of victory midway through the chase. In the 26th over Ross Taylor was unluckily dismissed as the ball bounced off his toe before ricocheting off the wicketkeeper’s pad onto the stumps to find him short, and New Zealand slid to 108 for 4.
They were in deeper trouble when Daniel Flynn, who has surely played his last limited- overs international for a while, was gone for a duck and Tom Latham’s struggle for runs continued. With Kane Williamson was also labouring to 29 off 50, the game looked over at 140 for 6 with 15 overs to play. The match changed, though, towards the end of the batting Powerplay as New Zealand found a pair of batsmen in Williamson and Andrew Ellis who both worked the ball around for singles, without getting bogged down.
There had been only five boundaries since the 12th over till almost the end of the 40th, but once Williamson got his half-century with a boundary to midwicket, and Dwayne Bravo was taken for 13 in the 42nd over, you could feel a momentum shift. That was only heightened when Bravo, normally a terrific fielder, put down an Ellis chance in the next over.
Enter Narine. He had three overs to go, and operated with an unusual around- the- wicket line. Chris Gayle has customarily changed matches with his power-hitting but this time he did it with an athletic piece of fielding. With Narine choking the runs, Williamson looked to hit out in the 46th, only for Gayle to dive and pluck a one handed chance at midwicket.
In his next over, Narine confounded Ellis and finished off his spell by knocking back Kyle Mills’ off stump, ending with the best figures by a West Indies player against New Zealand, and also ending the match as a contest.
Narine had earlier boosted West Indies with the wickets of two set batsmen, Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill, who had kept New Zealand’s run-rate hovering around six in the mandatory Powerplay.
In the company of Darren Sammy, whose accuracy was highlighted by the fact that he didn’t bowl a single ball down the legside to the right-handers in the final three ODIs, Narine choked the runs to help West Indies claw back after a brisk start to the chase.
New Zealand were satisfied halfway through the game, as they lined up with a wafer-thin bowling attack after dropping the specialist spinner Nathan McCullum and the experienced allrounder Jacob Oram.
They have had wretched luck with injuries on this tour so far, and they were thankful that the latest casualty, fast bowler Trent Boult, sent down eight overs before picking up a thigh strain. The bowling was so inexperienced that Rob Nicol with an aggregate of ten wickets was the third-highest wicket-taker in the XI.
What helped New Zealand’s part-time trio of Nicol, Flynn and Williamson to get through some low-pressure overs was the early spell of Tim Southee, who took 2 for 5 in his first three overs. Southee didn’t begin the series well, but has been impressive since his new ball spell to Chris Gayle in the third ODI which was the first time Gayle failed in this series.
In a line-up filled with flashy players, the relatively steady Marlon Samuels is expected to shoulder plenty of responsibility. Samuels task was made more difficult as Bravo was struggling to find fluency, especially as he was under-pressure to bat with more restraint after his slap dash innings on Saturday. He did his bit with a bustling 43.

Filed Under: Sports

Stacy Ramcharan

July 20, 2012 By

Stacy Ramcharan is a 21-year-old model full of life and joy. She described herself as an easy-going, sincere and generous person who loves helping others. She takes on her challenges head-on and basks in the joys of life.
Stacy enjoys modelling, listening to music, dancing, spending quality time with her family and friends, and watching movies. She likes being spontaneous and enjoys photo shoots, as part of her passion is modelling. Stacy graduated from Mae’s Secondary School in Guyana and is currently pursuing studies in accountancy. She also loves travelling, meeting new people and learning about different cultures.

Filed Under: Entertainment

Three Rivers Kids Foundation

July 20, 2012 By

Affording a new life for Guyanese children

Jeanette (far left) and a group of patients at the foundation’s office at the Gandhi Youth Organisation

he Three Rivers Kids Foundation was founded in 2005 to help give a new phase of life to children stricken with heart problems and other medical issues.
It is a registered charitable organization in Ontario, Canada. The goal of this organisation is to help sick children in Guyana whose parents are too poor to afford medical care. The organisation covers the medical treatment for children who need to be brought overseas.
In an interview with Guyana Times Sunday Magazine, president of the foundation Jeanette Singh noted that there are hundreds of sick and poor children in Guyana who are in desperate need of medical help. She added that the country does not have any pediatric cardiac surgeons, and lacks many medical specialists and facilities. These children have to be taken overseas for treatment. Singh revealed that most of these children suffer from life threatening conditions and would not survive if they do not receive the proper medical care.
The foundation, she noted, has no overhead costs such as office rent, utility bills, or salaries. All the board members are unpaid volunteers. Every dollar that is donated goes directly to helping the children. This foundation supplies medications to children from Guyana on a regular basis. It also supplies wheelchairs, commodes, prescription eye glasses, and hearing aids. In 2008, the foundation was registered as a non-governmental organisation in Guyana.
From tragedy to a worthy cause
The story of how the foundation started is a poignant one. Singh explained that she and her family left Guyana when she was very young. In the 1980s, her parents decided to come return to Guyana, and that was when they were attacked by robbers in their home resulting in the tragic, brutal death of her father. Singh returned to Guyana for the funeral and went looking for a school friend, a schoolteacher. Singh met with her friend and saw the many children she was teaching. The children were less fortunate and her friend decided she would take them in the afternoons to tutor them. Moved by her friend’s philanthropy work, Singh told her friend she would help to support those children.
“I went back to Canada, and my husband and I supported those children, but then the needs of those children grew. One was knocked down and needed a wheelchair and so on. As the demands grew I saw the need to start this foundation. In 2005, I decided to formally open the foundation, but my charitable work began since in the 1980s. It initially operated in Canada, and later on we opened an office here (Guyana) so that it would be more convenient for parents to reach out to us. Having a medical background – being a registered nurse for many years in England and Canada, I realized we don’t have many specialists here in pediatric cardiology or any pediatric cardiac surgeons, and there were a ton of children with congenital heart disease who were not being treated. In 2005, I had a list of children and I started investigating India because it is really expensive for heart surgeries to be done in Canada. I found out it was cheaper for them to be done in India and we took our first batch of children to India in 2005,” Singh stated.
Successes and concerns

Jeanette and some of the heart patients

To date, the foundation has helped more than 100 children from Guyana. Singh disclosed they have cleared their backlog of high-priority cases and are now focused on other pending cases. Last year, 17 patients: 15 children and two adults were, in mid-February, flown to Max Hospital, in Delhi, India for much-needed medical treatment.  This group was the largest the foundation has ever taken charge of.  Singh revealed that the next batch would be going to India for much needed surgery in February, 2013.
Her fear and concern is locating children with heart conditions too late, because parents don’t reach out early for medical attention, causing surgery to be detrimental. She said these cases are supposed to be treated in the first six months or year of diagnosis. Observing the need for early detection, the foundation conducts free cardio-screening clinics done by Dr. Viresh Mahajan, pediatric cardiologist from India. This, Singh said, reduces time-wastage and money.
“Another issue is that some parents are not trying to understand the severity of their children’s heart conditions. They feel they will grow out of it, which is crazy thinking. This is frustrating because these parents don’t understand the seriousness of their children’s state or that they will become inoperable, which will ultimately affect the parents’ lives. They don’t see beyond the present. We keep pleading to these ones to get their children checked out early. Finance is not an issue because we fully cover the children’s expenses. The foundation has dealt and can deal with medical conditions not treated in Guyana,” an aggrieved Singh disclosed.
Personal satisfaction
Singh is a fulltime nurse at a medical institution in Canada, and she has a family, while serving as president of the foundation. When asked how she does it all, she said her motivation comes from seeing the joy on the children’s faces after they have undergone surgery.
“There’s an emotional attachment and that’s a significant feeling. I get a good feeling to know we can give them a new lease on life. Currently, one of our patients is getting married and another will be going to UG very soon. Moments like these keep me going. Three Rivers Kids Foundation is also very grateful to the executives of Gandhi Youth Organization for giving the foundation free office space and we thank them sincerely,” Singh expressed appreciatively.
Visit www.threeriverskidsfoundation.org for more information on the organisation. (Taken from Guyana Times Sunday Magazine)

Filed Under: Features

Set your sights on Charity in Guyana

July 20, 2012 By

Charity, located in the Pomeroon-Supenaam region on the Pomeroon River, provides a gateway to the interior as well as neighbouring Venezuela. The people are friendly, the food is great, and the fruits are always fresh. There is definitely much to enjoy and see in Charity.
The market in Charity is an integral commerce area. The communities in Charity are small, close-knit and strive mostly on farming. The town is currently booming with new businesses constructions such as shopping malls and entertainment bars. (Photos by Marco Basir)

A panormic view of south-eastern Charity and Pomeroon River

Abrams Creek Primary School and Health Centre in Upper Pomeroon

Serene Pomeroon River

Filed Under: Travel & Tourism
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