We work in Guyana to improve education infrastructure, build school gardens, and provide income-generation opportunities allowing families to receive the tools they need to become self-sustainable.
Our Current Projects
A brand new library has been established for the Lusignan Primary school in 2023. Over six hundred students at the school are now enjoying their fully-equipped library, complete with a computer lab, to develop their love of reading and enhance their digital literacy skills. Check out the video here!
In the village of Baramita, Food For The Poor Canada (FFPC) constructed a Community Centre with solar panels used for learning and training purposes by students and community members, and also completed a library addition where children can have a safe space to learn, and access to resources such as tablets and textbooks. We have also provided farmers with the tools and training they need to raise their own chicken farms, and are supporting a school garden where students can learn how to grow food and have greater access to food security.
We have also implemented a 3-day health outreach program to provide 400 patients with medical and dental care, and have begun STEM and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) educational programming for students in grades 1-9.
How We Help Every Day
FFPC focuses its efforts in Guyana, specifically the village of Baramita, on various areas of programming to help lift families out of poverty.
With the cost of living in Baramita being three times higher than living on the coast, 95% of the community lives in extreme poverty, with makeshift tents as homes constructed of plastic, and no floor or sanitary facilities. There is a lack of access to food, health care, education, and women and girls are often the victims of domestic and sexual abuse.
Families go hungry on a regular basis, malaria, skin infections, and a lack of personal hygiene are prevalent in the community, and only 45% of children attend primary school, as many parents don’t understand the value of education. Alcohol abuse is at epidemic levels within the majority of the population, and the rate of suicide in Baramita is nine times higher than the national average, indicating that many suffer from mental and emotional health problems.
With the help of our donors and in-country partners, we work across Guyana to:
- Build community infrastructure such as community centres, libraries, homes, and water systems
- Distribute agricultural tools and support skills training
- Implement livelihood and income-generation projects
- Ship and distribute educational supplies, meals, and food hampers to families living in poverty
- Send items to be included in emergency kits as part of emergency preparedness and response efforts
Our Work with Food For The Poor Guyana
FFPC works with Food For The Poor Guyana (FFPG), which has been operating for 30 years, to build sustainable villages that include safe housing, agricultural and animal husbandry projects, skills-based community training, and distribution of food to families, schools, and orphanages across the country.
To learn more about FFPG’s programming and distribution work, click here.
Country Statistics
- Guyana's poverty rate, measured as the percentage of people living on less than $5.50, sits at 41%
- Natural disasters, particularly floods, have led to 94% of the negative impact on Guyana’s economy
- Malnutrition affects young children, as 16% of Guyana's newborn indigenous children are underweight