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The political, religious, social and economic climate in Guyana has led to high levels of violence within society. Violent crime has escalated in recent years, and citizens live in fear due to inadequate justice received through the disciplinary forces. Civil society groups often lack the strength to challenge decision makers and to publicly demand action to stop the murders and extrajudicial killings. Most Guyanese children have experienced some form of violence, primarily as a result of family violence and family breakdown, poor socio-economic conditions, high level of illiteracy and gaps in the welfare services.
There are large numbers of children without parental care in Guyana. Research by EveryChild has revealed the main factors leading to children losing parental care to be family violence/family breakdown, when children become victims of abuse, migration of parents, poverty, HIV and AIDS. There is a clear connection between children losing parental care and family violence.
Many children without parental care are orphans and even when they have not been orphaned, their circumstances place them at high risk. Due to the conditions they find themselves living in, these children are left marginalised, voiceless and without vital care and support. Very little has been done by duty bearers and civil society in the past to raise the level of awareness regarding their plight. However, the current Minister of Human Services and Social Security has placed high priority on the protection of children, evidenced by the passing of four children’s bills in parliament in early 2009, and has stated a clear need for collaborative efforts with civil society organisations to develop initiatives to address the high levels of abuse, exploitation and lack of protection of children in Guyana.
What is EveryChild doing to help?
The OneLife Project - Linden & Georgetown
Physical punishment is widely accepted as a norm in raising children in Guyana. As such, children rarely report incidences of abuse and when they do, are unlikely to be believed. HIV and AIDS is also largely stigmatised in Guyanese society, leaving those children who are infected/affected by HIV and AIDS hidden and stigmatised by their own families and communities. Children who are at risk and exposed to abuse and children living with or affected by HIV and AIDS and other vulnerable children experience poor emotional and childhood development, poor health and long term negative consequences on personal and social development.
EveryChild’s OneLife project seeks to address these issues and is implemented in partnership with national and local government and local Guyanese organisations. The project provides all inclusive, professional psychosocial support to orphans and vulnerable children, particularly those who experience violence, stigmatisation and abuse.
Through project activities, parents and other caregivers are equipped with the skills to care for their children without the use of violence and in ways that mantains their child's best interest.
At the governmental level, key decision makers have now adopted practices and ways of working with children that respect and uphold children’s rights. With the project also works with professionals and religious leaders to educate them about child rights, child protection and protection, abuse and HIV and AIDS.
- 1,601 caregivers and parents benefited from parenting skills training to help them improve their relationships with children in their care and create safer homes for them
The Pickney Project
This project, implemented in three communities aims to strengthen community child protection mechanisms and works with. children who are survivors of abuse, caregivers/parents in the community settings, relevant government and non-government representatives including teachers, health professionals (hospitals & nursing schools), the police and faith and community based organisations. This project provides court support services to children and their families, psychosocial support to children, assists development of community response groups, parenting education training, training of health care professionals and teachers, public awareness campaigns and active advocating for policy changes for the safety and protection of children. The Pickney project is delivered in urban, rural and hinterland communities and is involved in a coalition that advocates for legislation for on sexual violence against children.
Hyacinth & Grace's story
Hyacinth is a single mother and has 11 children. Hyacinth cannot afford to feed all her children or send them to school. Before she came across EveryChild, she felt that her only option was to send some of her children away to live with foster families.
Every Child Counts - Georgetown
This project is delivered a community in Georgetown renowned for it’s high levels of crime and violence. The project provides direct support to children experiencing or are at risk of being abused and promotes children’s rights and educational opportunities. Project activities include educational and informative sessions including child protection and child rights awareness for 1150 primary and secondary aged children and child friendly counselling for children at the community level. Parenting skills education sessions are also run that equip parents and other caregivers with the skills to better care for their children in non-violent ways. Teachers are trained in child protection, child centred approaches and other teaching methodologies for effectively engaging with children in the classrooms. Parenting skills educators in this project work to strengthen the schools’ parent and teachers’ associations, encouraging parents, teachers and children to take ownership of developing their community and increasing the levels of literacy and protection of children.
Foster Care Pilot
EveryChild strongly believes that placing children in institutional care should be the last resort, and where possible children should be allowed the opportunity to grow up in safe, secure family type environments. Until now, Guyana has had no foster care or kinship care initiatives and as a result, orphaned and vulnerable children are often placed in children’s homes and institutions without adequate social work interventions. This foster care pilot is a groundbreaking project that seeks to address these issues. Operational at a national level, this project aims to enhance potential family life for children by placing them in suitable foster/adoptive families promoting their safety and welfare through collaborative efforts with the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security in cases where restoration to the biological family is not safe, possible or appropriate.
Support for remedying or assisting the solution of problems is provided through the provision of psychosocial support/counselling services to support foster families and children and strengthening the capacity of foster parents and front-line staff to respond appropriately to the needs of children in a way that maintains their best interests.
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