Latest update April 18th, 2024 12:59 AM
Nov 04, 2018 News
The eradication of suicide and violence is not a battle for a mere few; rather, it will remain an uphill struggle unless people everywhere recognize that championing this cause requires earnest and unwavering collaborations. This is according to Mr. Nazim S. Hussain. He fully embraces the notion that “Suicide and violence eradication requires that all must be involved.” Hussain has been in the forefront of suicide and violence prevention for the past three years through the New York based non-governmental organization [NGO] – The Caribbean Voice Guyana [TCV]. But Hussain has shifted gears and now sits at the helm of a newly registered organization which gives even more emphasis to addressing the scourge of suicide and violence in Guyana.
On Thursday before a gathering of media operatives, Hussain introduced ‘Suicide and Violence Eradication [SAVE] Guyana’ as a new and improved NGO which has a name that speaks for itself – SAVE Guyana.
The announcement came amidst his disclosure of a breakaway from TCV for reasons that have negatively impacted the forward movement of projects seen as important to tackle the issues of suicide and violence. “There were several instances when projects we wanted to carry through were stopped by the [TCV] President in the United States for reasons unknown. He also would have been making publications by way of letters and signs as TCV and many of the statements were inimical in the interest of Guyanese and also the members and many times members felt we should have disassociated ourselves,” Hussain shared.
Driven by the aim to reduce the prevalence of suicide and violence in an unhindered way, the majority of the TCV Guyana members decided to form SAVE Guyana. Unfunded and without any current affiliates, Hussain now the President and Chief Executive Officer of SAVE Guyana anticipates nothing but positive outcomes that will lend to a suicide and violent free society.
SAVE Guyana, according to Hussain, is an organisation that can adapt to working with like-minded organisations and individuals going forward.
“We are not trying to make a name for ourselves; we only want to see the results [a better Guyana]. The work we have been doing for the last three years will continue. We are not here requesting any financial support from any agency through the US. We are not promising people anything and collecting monies here,” Hussain asserted.
According to Hussain too, for too long personalities have gotten in the way of the intended goal, a state of affairs which is expected to be a thing of the past with the advent of SAVE Guyana. “The consciousness of SAVE Guyana is to create awareness and to do counselling that is needed. What we want to do is get all of Guyana to know that suicide and violence are preventable…as a consequence that is a long term job,” said Hussain.
He anticipates that SAVE Guyana is well poised to move forward with zest and vitality simply because its members are so wired. “In volunteerism people take time off to do certain things but these people have a passion about saving lives…some of us are in the media, some of us are activists and some of us do it [activism] primarily through social media and the other forms of media,” said Hussain of the SAVE Guyana membership.
Holding the position of Vice President and Education and Training Director is veteran nurse, Ms. Leslyn Holder. Another Vice President with responsibility for Media and Public Relations is popular media personality, W. R. Reaz. Other members include: Feona Sukdeo, Region Two Coordinator; Narda Hussein, Region Three Coordinator; Nurse Evelyn Parker, Region Four Coordinator; Linden Murray, Region Six Coordinator; Consultant Shirvington Hannays, who is an accredited Canadian-trained addiction specialist, counsellor, suicide advocate and trainer; Dr. Colleen Bovell, a psychiatrist who will be charged with coordinating counselling services; Valini Leitch, Domestic Abuse Coordinator; and Psychologists: Dr. Mark Constantine, Jermain Pollard and the United Kingdom-based Caitlyn Vieira.
Some of the other members of the NGO include: former Miss Guyana/World, Nuriyyih Gerrard and Vena Mookram as well as current Miss Guyana/World, Ambika Ramraj. The membership also includes Television Host Ravi D. Mohan and Ms. Joan Meusa. The organization has also retained the services of Mr. Arund Gossain as its legal counsel.
Signature events slated to be hosted by the organization in the near future will include a workshop on November 13 at the Tagore Memorial Secondary School in Number 64 Village, Corentyne, Berbice targeting teachers from the upper Corentyne area. Workshops will also be conducted by the SAVE Guyana representatives in other areas including: Kwakwani, Region 10 and in Essequibo, Region Three.
Under the TCV label, similar workshops were carried out at East Canje, New Amsterdam and Leonora.
On November 24, the group will be heading to Baramita, Region One to conduct a community mental health and anti-suicide training programme. By training persons in the various communities, Hussain said that the intent is to have in place persons who can act as first responders and gate keepers to help detect signs linked to suicide and violence and report same to those with the knowledge or authority to address such cases. “We can’t get to all the people at the same time so we will train them so that they can take the message out,” said Hussain as he revealed that “sadly some people still don’t know where and how to get help.”
Moreover, on the SAVE Guyana agenda too is the hosting of a national stakeholders conference set for January 24, 2019. At this conference Hussain said, efforts will be made to target several Guyanese as stakeholders in suicide and violence prevention efforts. The guest speaker for this highly anticipated conference will be SAVE Guyana’s Consultant, Shirvington Hannays.
A number of other programmes are also in the pipelines which, Hussain said, will target businesses as well as government agencies to help advance the suicide and violence eradication.
In order to ensure that its training programmes are relevant and realise the intended impact, Holder, the Education and Training Director, said “we are forever doing research to ensure our content is appropriate and current.” In fact she disclosed that some of the programmes which were planned under the TCV, including a lay counsellor programme, will no longer be implemented under SAVE Guyana. Optimistic about going forward, Holder shared her belief that the January conference will set the pace for many new things to unfold. “After the conference and we would have heard from the public, we will be able to put together [new] training programmes. We aim at faith based organisations and religious leaders because we believe they can help to get our work out there,” said Holder.
“I am looking forward to working as SAVE Guyana,” said Holder whose sentiments were echoed by Psychiatrist, Dr. Bovell. Dr. Bovell who operates out of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, said that while the efforts of the public health sector is noble and well intended, collaboration can always achieve more results. “I am happy to be here, this is a timely collaboration. When we have our programmes we will have mental health specialists like myself going out too…we have to get into all the schools in all the regions,” said Dr. Bovell who disclosed that targeting the youths of society is important since many mental health disorders can start during the teenage years.
“Gone are the days when we saw only adults committing suicide,” said Reaz, the Media and Public Relations VP, as he too expressed eagerness about SAVE Guyana as it prepares to introduce its maiden programmes to the Guyanese public.
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