• Activities close for the year with an awareness session for interested volunteers
• Counsellors have a two day session on Group Facilitation
• PAHO hosts a specialist in Child Abuse and we participate in the consultations.

• International Day Against Violence Against Women is commemorated in Guyana with several activities. Help & Shelter participates in the March on 24 November, facilitates a talk at Bel Air Vishnu Mandir and facilitates a workshop for the Region 5 Women's Affairs Committee
• The Youth Ministry of the Newtown Assemblies of God presents a public forum on Child Abuse with Help & Shelter
• H & S participates in the Youth Can Move the World training co-ordinated by the Varqua Foundation.
• The awareness sessions are completed with the nurses of the Georgetown Public Hospital.
• Discussions on domestic violence are held with the students of the Friendship Youth Development centre ,

• Discussions about domestic violence are held with the members of the Parika Seventh Day Adventist church
• The effects of Domestic violence on children are discussed with the members of the Family Life Convention of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Georgetown.
• The final arrangements are made for a UNIFEM funded project to be initiated. Click here for the details of the approved proposal.

• A discussion on When Love Hurts is held with the Bible Club of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Child Abuse is discussed on the GTV programme Breaking the Silence
• The Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation hosts workshops for Nurses and medical staff on Domestic Violence interventions
• Domestic violence is discussed with the members of the East Bank Seventh Day Adventist churches.
• The Seventh Annual General Meeting is held on 15 September, 2001.

A special award was made to Mrs Lynette Seabra, Co-ordinator who performed beyond the call of duty and who will be leaving Help & Shelter in December this year.

• Discussions about child abuse / domestic violence are held with the Sixth formers of School of the Nations; the Primary 4 Class of West Ruimveldt Primary School and the Queens College Interact Club

• Discussions on child abuse are held with the
• children participating in the camps organised by the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Sport
• children of the Ebenezer AME church camp
• A talk on domestic violence was given at the lunch meeting of the Rotary Club of Georgetown Central
• A session was held with the Young and Thoughtful Youth Group on domestic violence and child abuse
• Child Abuse is discussed with the recruits of the Guyana Police Force
• A discussion on the effects of domestic violence was done with Youth in Development (photo below)
• 
• Help & Shelter members participated in the GTV programme Breaking the Silence, discussing Rape in one programme, and Suicide in the other programme

July 2001

• UNICEF funds a three day workshop with the community Based Advocates of Yakusari, Black Bush Polder . This is arranged by the Roadside Baptist Skills Training Centre of No 68 Village, Corentyne.
• The Bel Air/Prashad Nagar PYO group organises a public discussion about suicide prevention which is facilitated by Help & Shelter.
• H & S participates in the Guyana HIV/AIDS Youth Project's Ready Body fever
• Discussions about spousal abuse are held with students from the North Ruimveldt Multilateral School, members of the Glowing Star Youth Club of Skeldon, students from the Roadside Baptist Skills Training Centre
• A presentation on domestic violence is made to devotees at the Eccles Vishnu Mandir
• The Guyana Telephone & Telegraph Company inserts a flyer with information about domestic violence in the telephone bills. The calls to Help & Shelter increase , and include calls from women who have never felt they could call anywhere to talk about their suffering.
• Another two day orientation session is held for new volunteers and persons interested in advocating against domestic violence and child abuse

June 2001

• The Guyana Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha hosts a three day programme "Counselling for Hindus", Help & Shelter delivers the component on domestic violence and child abuse
• Sessions were held with the youth of Groenweld (West Coast Demerara) PYO group.
• The sessions continued with the students of the Mercy Wings Vocational School
• The Ministry of Housing is destroyed by fire. Fortunately, the building housing Help & Shelter and the Commonwealth Youth Programme is spared.
• Help & Shelter staff work with the police on the delivery of another training workshop
• A second Suicide Awareness series is held
• the
• A donation of clothing is received from Dr Tulsi Dyal Singh.
• Guyanese from St Maarten donate a TV and items for the children's room.

• The first 6 day orientation programme for persons interested in public education was completed. Twenty Five persons completed the programme. The participants included a wide cross section of the society.
• Ms Shaila Ketwaru and Ms Kelly Walker from the Suriname CIDA programme visited with local CIDA officers.
• Three lawyers from the Rotaract Club of Georgetown have started to offer free consultation with people we refer.
• A rap session on suicide was delivered to students of the St Andrew's Kirk Sunday School.
• Rap sessions on domestic violence were held at the Leonora Mandir, at the Better Hope Mandir, with the teachers and students of the Mercy Wings Vocational School in Sophia and with the students.
• The Minister within the Ministry of Human Services, Social Security and Labour, the Hon Bibi Shadeek met with Help & Shelter directors. The Minister pledged to working to ensure that the provisions in the law, especially the DVA, would be enforced. Help & Shelter offered to assist the Ministry in training.
• Help & Shelter participates in the International Fair organised by the Rotary Club of Demerara. The booth had an activity to 'stamp' out domestic violence, and asked people to sign a pledge to 'stamp out domestic violence.
• Women Reaching Out donate a TV and a VCR.

Photo and caption  courtesy of Stabroek News, 30 May, 2001  Keep up the good work! Help and Shelter yesterday received three donations of US$1,000 each from three Japanese individuals among them, Honorary Consul for the Cooperative  Republic of Guyana, Tasuku Hasemura, A.A., who is currently on an official visit to Guyana. According to a press release from the organisation, the donations, which were  presented at its Homestretch Avenue office, came as a result of the Japanese community having heard about the efforts of the non-governmental organisation. This prompted the  contributions from two Japanese nationals, Mitsuo Omata and Fumiko Kanazawa who  asked Hasemura to make the presentation during his visit here. This influenced Hasemura  to contribute a similar amount. In photo Hasemura (right) presents the donation of  US$3,000 (around $555,000) to Denise Dias, chairperson of the Board of Directors.    Looking on from left are Directors Lisa Thompson and Sylvia Conway, Coordinator of  Help and Shelter, Lynette Seabra and JICA expert Nobuo Ishii

April 2001

• Discussions about domestic violence were held with the WINNER's group in Vreed En Hoop; and a community group in Hague West Coast Demerara
• Twelve members of the Youth Challenge International spent three weeks at the Shelter doing voluntary work. They worked on tidying the grounds and laying the foundation of a poultry pen.
• An orientation course starts on 27 April, 2001
• The new Hotline becomes active on 231-7249.

March 2001

• Help & Shelter participated with the Women's Affairs Bureau and other non-governmental organisations in activities to commemorate International Women's Day on 8 March. These included participating in an exhibition; radio and television events (including an international radio conference on Voice of America's Caribbean Perspective, a forum at Cyril Potter College of Education

Photo and caption from Stabroek News, 15 March, 2001  A demonstration of its social conscience and corporate responsibility: Booker Tate yesterday handed over a cheque for $108,000 as a donation to the Help and Shelter organisation on Homestretch Avenue. GUYSUCO's Managing Director Brian Webb (third from right) and his wife Glynis (right) were instrumental in facilitating the donation. Booker Tate has a management contract for GUYSUCO. Chairman of the Help and Shelter  Board of Directors Denise Dias (second from left) is seen here receiving the donation.  They are flanked by the institution's staff.  Article from Guyana Chronicle, 19 March, 2001  Giving back to society CHIEF Executive Officer of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GUYSUCO), Mr. Brian Webb, accompanied by his wife Glynis,  handed over to officials of Help and Shelter a cheque for $108,000.   The money is a donation from Booker Tate Limited towards the charitable organisation's operation costs. The Webbs were instrumental in facilitating the contribution.   "Booker Tate feels it is important to demonstrate its social conscience  and corporate responsibility by supporting needy causes in Guyana, having operated in this part of the world for ten years. Wishing to do so in the future, Booker Tate would like to give back to society," Webb said.   Vice chairman of Help and Shelter, Mr. Vidyaratha Kissoon stated the  organisation's satisfaction at receiving the cheque. "The $108,000 will  be used to fund some operational costs for which funding is not easily accessed," Kissoon explained. He also took the opportunity to call on  others to follow suit. Kissoon named GUYSUCO as a source of considerable corporate support to Help and Shelter and said funds are provided by other  non-governmental organisations for particular projects but not for  administrative costs.   "We always need funding for different activities and very often administration is not adequately supported but we do need to operate  this centre so that we can deliver our services," Kissoon concluded.

Photo and caption courtesy of Stabroek News, 22 March, 2001  Japan grant for Help and Shelter: Counsellor of the Japanese Embassy in Caracas, Venezuela, Hidehiro Tsubaki (third from right) presenting a grant of US$27,567 from the   Japanese Government to Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Help and Shelter, Denise Dias, yesterday. The money will be used to acquire a vehicle, two computers and other office equipment and to repair the office. Looking on are Japanese International Cooperation Agency expert to CARICOM Nobuo Ishii (fourth from right), Japan's Honorary Consul General, Hans Barrow (right) and staff of Help and Shelter. (Photo by              Ken Moore)

February 2001

• Discussions about Domestic violences are held with women of the Georgetown Sai Centre and with  the Women's Union of the Guyana Congregational Union

January 2001

• Discussions about domestic violence are held with the Eccles Vishnu Mandir. A one day workshop is held with the Sai Youth Organisation
• The fourth training session for volunteer counsellors concludes on Sat 13 Jan