MV Barima tragedy – Lottery Company donates $5M to HEART Initiative

The Canadian Bank Note Company (CBN), parent company of the Guyana Lottery Company (GLC), has donated G$5 million to the Hope, Empathy, Aid, Resilience and Trust (HEART) Initiative, which was established by President Dr Irfaan Ali to support survivors and bereaved families affected by the MV Barima tragedy. This donation was announced by President of the Lottery and Gaming Division at CBN, Kirk Arends, during the GLC’s 30th Anniversary Dinner and Awards Appreciation Ceremony on Friday evening at the Guyana Marriott Hotel in Georgetown. In a video message, Arends recognised the impact that the July 18 capsizing and sinking of the MV Barima ferry has on Guyana and its people. “Our thoughts remain with the survivors, the families who lost loved ones and all those affected by this heartbreaking event. As a demonstration of our support and commitment to the people of Guyana, Canadian Bank Note Company is pleased to announce a contribution of five million Guyanese Dollars to the HEART Initiative to help provide ongoing support to survivors and bereaved families affected by this tragedy,” the CBN official stated.

This donation comes in light of some GLC staff members being related to the victims of the tragedy. According to GLC’s General Manager (GM) Kalima Ali, they are also cognisant that those affected by the tragedy might also be customers of the lottery company. “As you know, we are a company stretched across Guyana…and we thought that [the HEART Initiative] would have been the best way to channel our contributions to reach the [affected] families – through a national-coordinated mechanism,” the GLC Head stated. On July 18, the MV Barima capsized and sank off the Essequibo Coast while en route to Port Kaituma, Region One (Barima-Waini), with 179 people onboard. While 76 persons survived the horrific boat accident, 73 persons have been confirmed dead and another 30 remain unaccounted for. The Guyana Government has initiated efforts to recover the sunken vessel and recently invited bids from specialised marine salvage companies to carry out the operation.
Additionally, President Ali has also appointed a five-member Commission of Inquiry (CoI) to investigate the circumstances surrounding the capsizing and sinking of the ferry. The Commissioners were sworn-in on July 30 and are currently finalising arrangements for public hearings as well as addressing the legal and administrative requirements that will guide the proceedings. Meanwhile, the Guyanese Leader also established the HEART Initiative, which brings together humanitarian assistance, psychosocial and trauma counselling, social services, spiritual guidance and other forms of support for survivors and bereaved families of the victims of the MV Barima tragedy. “We hope this contribution will assist in the recovery process and serve as a small expression of our solidarity with those impacted during this difficult time,” Arends stated in his video statement on Friday.
The HEART Initiative –– was launched as part of the Government’s commitment to provide long-term support to survivors and families of those who died. This support comes in the form of spiritual and religious support, children’s wellbeing and welfare assistance including education, developing a parent and family support network to the families and communities affected by the tragedy. To this end, the Initiative is establishing regional units to deliver sustained and long-term psychological, social and religious support. The First Lady’s Office would be complementing support to children under the initiative. During a recent appearance on the Starting Point podcast, Human Services and Social Security Minister Dr Vindhya Persaud, who has oversight of the initiative, explained that these regional units will comprise social workers, therapists, psychologists, religious representatives and personnel responsible for coordinating logistical support.
“We are still building it out, but we have started a process where every region will have a unit comprising of a social worker, therapist, psychologist,” the Minister stated. She added that the logistical personnel would assess and respond to immediate practical needs including assistance with transportation, food and other incidentals. However, Dr Persaud stressed that this support should not be confused with compensation. “We are dealing with what is needed right now,” the Human Services Minister asserted. She further noted that the affected families have different circumstances and needs, including expenses associated with memorials and other immediate obligations – all of which are being assessed on a case-by-case basis. But even as these efforts by the Government continue to support those affected by the tragedy, at least one man has been flagged for attempting to defraud the state. Jermaine English, a 50-year-old resident of Tuschen New Housing Scheme, East Bank Essequibo (EBE, falsely claimed that his two children died in the MV Barima tragedy. He was charged and placed before the court on Friday. The man was not required to plea to the indictable charge and was remanded to prison.