Guyana Red Cross - first NGO to visit remote South Pakaraimas area

The Guyana Red Cross (GRCS) recently conducted an outreach programme for the very remote South Pakaraimas district in Region 9. 

The region is home to the Macushi Indians and takes over four hours of driving along winding mountain roads and bridges to reach the communities.

The field trip was successful and achieved the following outcomes:

• Town hall meetings for over 120 persons from the communities of Karasabai, Pi Pang, Tiger Pond and Taushida, where communities were introduced to GRCS and the Together We Can (TWC) peer education Programme;
• HIV/STIs/Reproductive Health sensitisation programmes for over 300 persons via talks and videos for all the communities except Taushida;
• TWC Peers Reached session for 40 youths aged 10 – 16 years old;
• Seventy one additional youth participants were sensitised with HIV messages;
• HIV talk for over 65 youths age10 – 17 years old;
• One community council meeting for 40 persons;
• Distribution of health information to four communities; and
• Sensitise communities that voluntary counselling and testing will be done bi-monthly in Karasabai.

The trip was an especially memorable for the team and communities, since some communities stated they had never before had an NGO visit them to conduct health outreach.  GRC’s vehicle was also the first ever to travel to Taushida.

During this outreach, GRC partnered with Wings of Hope/Remote Area Medical (WOH/RAM) to deliver cervical cancer awareness and information for over 100 women in the district. 

WOH/RAM is based in Region 9 and has been working for a number of years in assisting the region to transport medical emergencies and aid via air. 

The cervical cancer talks were done by Peace Corps Volunteer Megan Campbell.  PCV Megan also used the opportunity to inform women and health workers of the expected visit of a team of RAM doctors expected to carry out general womens’ health care and PAP smears.

The team is expected to revisit the area in January 2007 before the rainy season begins and the roads become rivers again.