“We want to help Guyanese people” – Humanity First Guyana

Following the grand donation of $1 million from Prime Minister Mark Phillips last month, Humanity First Guyana (NGO) has expressed its willingness to provide relief to Guyanese fleeing Caribbean countries stricken by Hurricane Beryl.
This information was revealed by Chairman of Humanity First Guyana, Maqsood Mansoor, during an interview with Guyana Times.
He told this publication that this aid would include hampers and other essential supplies.
“Our main plan is to work on Guyanese, especially with that donation because it came from the Government of Guyana, so we want to spend back on Guyanese, that’s our main goal,” Maqsood stated.

“Definitely, we can help them with food hampers and, you know, maybe some of the basic supplies, we can try to help them, definitely. Anybody who will approach us, we will never say no, our ongoing programmes are like food hampers and supplies, for community programmes or sometimes we provide sports gear to different communities, prison, you know, or children or school supplies.”
Meanwhile he added that as their programmes are set to roll out, Guyanese in need can fit into them, and they are not reluctant to provide help.
“If anybody asks us, you know, for any help, it is from within these programmes, we can immediately help them. We have programs scheduled to run throughout the year, so I can immediately help them.”
Maqsood also emphasised that this donation from the government is set to fuel their ongoing plans which are already scheduled to run throughout the year.
“Yeah, we already have activities planned, so it will help us in those. So, that donation would enhance the plans that are already established exactly. So, all those programmes that I said, like food programme, food hamper distribution, feeding kids, school children or supporting youth groups in the community by providing sports gear, by providing school supplies to children or medical outreaches, these are our main activities. We even help the orphanage, right, provide cleaning supplies to different orphanages. So, all those activities will benefit from 1 million dollars.”
This substantial donation is set to significantly bolster Humanity First Guyana’s efforts in providing critical support and relief to those in need, particularly focusing on the nation’s youth and other vulnerable group
Beryl has killed at least nine people. Over 38,000 Guyanese residing in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Barbados, and Trinidad are reportedly affected by the devasting hurricane, which continues to plough through the Caribbean with record-breaking wind speeds, causing massive destruction including loss of lives.
According to information provided by Guyana’s Diaspora Unit, an estimated 20,000 Guyanese in Barbados; 30,000 to 35,000 in Trinidad, and about 3000 in St. Vincent and the Grenadines were affected. Further, damage assessments are ongoing in all the affected countries and humanitarian efforts are being continuously mobilised.
A preliminary report prepared by the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) indicated that over 3000 persons from Union Island alone in St. Vincent and the Grenadines were displaced. In addition to this, the roof of the Union Island airport was destroyed along with the main control tower at the facility.
Recently, Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d), Mark Phillips made a financial contribution of $1 million to Humanity First Guyana, a local non-profit organisation dedicated to humanitarian efforts. The donation was officially presented to the Chair of Humanity First Guyana, Fahd Peerzada, last Tuesday, at the Office of the Prime Minister on Camp Street. Humanity First Guyana is a branch of Humanity First International, a United Kingdom-based non-profit organisation established in 1995 with the mission of promoting and protecting human life and dignity worldwide. In addition to providing urgent disaster relief, the organisation focuses on long-term sustainable development programmes in Guyana, including initiatives in healthcare, education, clean water access, vocational training, and orphan care.