Guyana

VSO Guyana works in the areas of education, disability and secure livelihoods. It is also implementing a national volunteering programme.

Disability

VSO Guyana has worked within disability for several years, but mainly through providing physiotherapists and occupational, speech and language therapists. Men, women and children with disabilities all experience a number of challenges in Guyana; there is effectively no support system and few opportunities for them to enhance their existing circumstances by gaining an education, getting a job or accessing appropriate care or therapy. So volunteers are now also being placed with agencies such as the National Commission on Disability, Guyana Community-Based Rehabilitation Programme and local non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that are managed by and acting for people with disabilities. These volunteers are working to improve government and public understanding of disability issues, encourage change in legislation and expand rehabilitation services in remote regions. Work is also going into training local personnel so there is less reliance on international volunteers and expatriates.

Education

For some time, VSO Guyana's education work focused on placing volunteer classroom teachers in schools around the country. As a result of the strategic plan in 2003–04, the focus has shifted towards improving the quality of education through curriculum development, teacher training and management support for regional education offices. Efforts are also being undertaken to work with other education stakeholders such as the Parent–Teachers Association towards their greater participation in education. VSO Guyana’s work in disability and education is linked, as volunteers are also working on improving the provision of, and access to, special education for children with disabilities.

Secure livelihoods

Following extensive research and further consultations with current and past partners and volunteers, since the beginning of 2008, VSO has implemented a third programme area plan on secure livelihoods.

Working with partners, the programme tries to address three basic issues confronting rural communities in Guyana:

the need to increase production in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner
increasing the income of marginalised communities
enhancing the ability of rural people to have better control over their livelihoods.

The programme works with both government and NGOs.

National volunteering

A national volunteering programme which aims to promote volunteering as an effective way of reducing poverty and disadvantage in Guyana is also currently being implemented. It cuts across the three programme areas of disability, education and secure livelihoods.

Guyana Disability Education Secure livelihoods

Population:: 748,000
Capital city:: Georgetown
GDP per capita:: US$3,344
HDI ranking:: 104 out of 169
Life expectancy:: 68 years

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Stories

Cheryl Evans, literacy adviser, Guyana

Guyana Education

Primary teacher and VSO volunteer Cheryl Evans has been supporting literacy in Guyana’s primary schools for nearly two years. Here she describes the transformations she has seen in children’s reading and writing, the “heaps of new skills” she has developed as a volunteer and the sights, smells and sounds of life in Guyana.

Transforming speech and language therapy - Guyana

Guyana Disability

In Guyana, VSO is improving services for people with disabilities by strengthening the skills of local health workers. Merle Sobers works at Ptolemy Reid, a centre for children with mental and physical disabilities. She has spent the last eight months working alongside VSO volunteer Hannah Kay, the only speech and language therapist in the country. Here Merle describes the long-term impact Hannah has had on her work.