GRPA assists struggling Essequibo Coast mother of 10

After reading an article in Guyana Times about the struggling mother of 10, who is living in extreme poverty in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), members of the Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association (GRPA) visited the family at Charity village on Friday.

GRPA Executive Director Reverend Patricia Sheerattan Bisnauth, along with Senior Programme Advisor (Caribbean) of the International Planned Parenthood Federation, Lucella Campbell, and Regional Health Officer of Region Two, Dr Afarah Khan, visited the family and donated cash and food items as a means of support for them.
Sonia Chung, 35, said that since publication of the article in the Guyana Times, several persons have reached out to her family to assist, and she is very grateful.
Meanwhile, a counselling session on family planning was also done with the mother of 10, and she was advised to do an Intrauterine Contraceptive Device (IUD) insertion, which will be done locally by Dr Khan.
She was also advised to send her children to school on a regular basis, for education is the key to success.
A neighbour of Chung’s had reached out to Guyana Times seeking to have the public’s assistance in helping Chung with basic amenities for her children. At present, six of Chung’s 10 children are living with her.
Speaking with this publication, Chung had said that her youngest child was five months old. She had said that both she and her husband were finding it difficult to gain employment, as they were both uneducated.
Her husband, Moses, she said, had been renting a farm in the Pomeroon River, but owing to the heavy maintenance costs, he could not afford to continue with that venture.
The house in which the family lives has neither electricity nor water, and is being rented for $14,000 per month. The family owes six months’ rent, and it is only the goodwill of the landlord that stands between them and eviction. Describing her situation and her poverty-stricken state, the woman said, “Living in poverty is worse than living in hell.”
Chung said her eldest son, who is 19, is differently abled and cannot help her in any significant way. (Mohanlall Seulall)