‘Heal Guyana’ pushing for positive behavioural change*

Guyanese have embraced Heal Guyana’s invitation of engendering positive attitudinal and behavioural change and doing more in 2018 to help the country recover from its many wounds. Over 65 persons have now offered commitments of time and money.

Starting with Ourselves, which is the Heal Guyana slogan, encourages all citizens, including institutions of state, political parties, civil society and the private sector to educate, build peace, practise racial harmony and inspire various other forms of positive behavioural change and movement toward national progress.

Since its launch December 14, Heal Guyana, a non-profit organisation guided by the core values of fairness, unity, compassion, equality, dignity, respect for nature, non-violence, integrity and wisdom, has reached over 50,000 persons with their online messages. The group functions primarily through a virtual platform that provides a forum for sharing ideas and facilitating unbiased dialogue that informs Guyanese.

A Catholic Standard article explained that the platform is intended to “be a rich hub of independent thought aimed at creating a new kind of discourse on a range of socio-cultural and political issues in Guyana”.

More specifically, it stated, Heal Guyana will empower Guyanese youth to effectively articulate a range of solutions relative to racial unity, political impartiality, gender balance, sexual inclusivity and public accountability, among other concerns.

“Personal accountability and becoming more active in our communities is the most strategic place to begin. Together we can live in harmony, show concern for each other, reject the evil of racism and all other forms of discrimination,” the group said.

Heal Guyana is governed by a Board comprising Sharon Lalljee-Richard, Egbert Carter, Lawrence Lachmansingh and Alexis Stephens.

Stephens, a Catholic, said that unhealed traumas are generating the destructive types of behaviour they are seeing every day in the streets. Her fellow board member Lachmansingh, also Catholic, added “The agenda of Heal Guyana is very consistent with the Catholic Church’s social teachings.” He urged Catholics to follow the example of Christ, “an extraordinary healer”, from faith to concrete works of love.

More about the organisation can be found at www.healguyana.org or by visiting the ‘Heal Guyana’ Facebook page.