Moving Forward with hope and optimism
First I hope that you are keeping well and managing as best you can during these extraordinary times. It is hard to imagine that we are now in our second month of “staying at home” for all who are not on the frontlines. I know that many of you who support GHTK are on the frontlines every day whether you work in health care, the service industry or providing other essential services. There is no doubt that you are courageous people, and we are so fortunate that you are part of the GHTK “family”. We thank you for being there for so many in need at this time.
I wanted to follow-up from my April Update to let you know that we were able to purchase 10,000 masks and goggles for health care workers in Guyana. The supplies were delivered directly to the frontline workers and there are a few photos at the end of the Newsletter showing them being accepted by staff – I can honestly tell you that the physicians, nurses and other frontline staff were relieved and delighted - behind those masks are wonderful smiles of appreciation.
More than 2000 were delivered to Georgetown Public Hospital and were distributed to those working in the Emergency, Paediatrics and Covid Unit; 1000 were delivered to New Amsterdam and 500 to Lindon Hospitals. The remaining will be delivered in the coming weeks. In talking with the physicians in Guyana, they anticipate that the donation will last them 4 to 6 weeks – much will depend on the number of cases they receive.
We were also going to donate masks to our local hospital, Humber River, but in talking with the President & CEO, we felt that we could not gurantee that the masks met Canadian standards. The decision was made instead to donate funds to the hospital specifically for the purchase of PPE for the frontline workers. This donation has been made on behalf of GHTK.
In addition, through the efforts of Terry Sawh, one of our Board members, we have been able to purchase much needed hand sanitizer and 2000 bottles will be delivered to the staff at Humber River once we receive it in May 2020.
As mentioned in our April Newsletter, the Board of GHTK felt strongly that as well as doing what we could to support those in need in Guyana, we also needed to do the same for our local hospital.
GHTK’s 10th Anniversary
Ironically 2020 is the 10th Anniversary of Giving Health To Kids (GHTK), formerly known as Guyana Help the Kids. In our February Update, we spoke at length about why were were created and the successes we have had in the past ten years. However, we also recognize there remains much to be done to fulfill our mission and vision of preserving life for newborns in Guyana and other developing countries that we have become involved with, i.e. Antigua.
We had plans to hold the biggest and best GHTK Gala in November to celebrate 10-years of incredible work and dedication by everyone who has been involved with us since our inception – that includes many of you who receive this Update each month. We are so grateful for your ongoing belief in the work we do.
However, given the current World-Wide Pandemic, we recognize that we have to do things differently this year. While the need remains great, we are also aware that many people are hurting financially and are not able to provide the same level of support at this time. For this reason, the Board has made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 10th Anniversary Gala, which was scheduled for November 7, 2020.
While we are sad about the decision, we know it is the right thing to do. We need to be sensitive to our supporters and the enormous challenges people are facing, both personally and business-wise. We also know that we are competing with many charities who are raising funds for healthcare and covid related relief.
The Board currently has their “thinking hats’ on as to what can we do that is both reasonable, will not detract from other worthy causes and will enable us to raise some funds to allow us to fulfill our mandate for the coming year. We have looked at our programs and made the decision to move forward with only the most urgent –
- we need to complete our Nursing Program in Antigua for the current year but will hold on starting our next session until July 2021
- exams for the current physicians in the Paediatric Residency Program will delayed from May to October 2020
- 5 physicians have applied to the Paediatric Residency Program in Guyana, and our goal is to start in August 2020
- we want to maintain our support for the Indigenous Outreach program and will work with Georgetown Public Hospital regarding a reasonable start date later in the year – this is a huge need and something that is desperately needed
I think we all recognize that when our own country is facing such challenges, it is hard to think of others. However, I know that people have a wonderful capacity to care for those who may be less fortunate than ourselves, and for this reason, I sincerely believe that with your help we will be able to provide support to these programs.
In the coming months, we will let you know what we are thinking in terms of obtaining your tangible help. I can promise you that some of the ideas being generated will be fun and may help us all as we move forward to a “new normal” in our lives.
Each month, I ask you to contact me with your questions or comments. This month, I ask that you also contact me if you have any innovative/inventive ideas that we could use to support GHTK at this time.
The world has changed so much but the overall goodness in people in still there – reaching out to support those who are in need - caring for our families, our friends, our colleagues remains a constant in everyone’s life – together we will get through this time and come out stronger for what we have been through.
From the Board of Directors, we send our sincere thanks to you for your support and belief in what we do.
Dr. Narendra Singh, President GHTK
e-mail:
Delivery of the N95 Masks and Goggles to frontline workers in Guyana