Guyana

Office Staff

  • Lisa Thompson, Chief of Party
  • Tomaisha Hendricks, Prevention Officer
  • Nicholas Persaud, Stigma & Gender Officer
  • Dr. Ruth Jacobs, Care & Support Officer
  • Tonia Newton, Finance Manager
  • Dionne Thompson, Grant Accountant
  • Joel De Mendonca, Strategic Information Intern
  • Tzaddi Frank, Administrative Officer
  • Robert Whyte, Driver
  • Dale De Mendonca, Driver
  • Shamar Wilson, Social Media Intern
  • Alessandra Hereman, Key Populations Intern

Contact Information

Advancing Partners & Communities - Guyana
Lot 6 Oleander Avenue
Belair Park, Georgetown
231-1123-4 & 226-4785

Goals of APC/Guyana

The goals for APC in Guyana is to provide technical assistance for local NGOs/FBOs/CBOs implementing activities that are evidence-based, cost-effective and efficiently designed to reduce transmission and impact of HIV through an integrated community response and in support of the MOH response to HIV in Guyana. In Guyana, APC supports 11 NGOs across eight of the 10 administrative regions: Artistes in Direct Support, Agape Network, Comforting Hearts, the FACT Group, G-Plus, Hope for All, Hope Foundation, Lifeline Counselling, Linden Care, United Bricklayers and Youth Challenge Guyana.

Screenshot of the PSAs

APC/Guyana, with technical assistance from JSI, created four HIV-related animated public service announcements (PSA) especially for a Guyanese audience. Watch the videos »

Office Objectives

  1. Improve the operational framework for local NGOs to reach key affected populations and provide services
  2. Improve the efficiency of service delivery to reduce unit costs
  3. Strengthen the partnership between NGOs and the Government to expand services with the same amount of investment and ensure the viability of the NGOs’ role in the national HIV response
  4. Explore initiatives to ensure sustainability of NGO programming based on best practices

Primary Activities

APC provides technical assistance to improve the structures and operation framework of grantee, enhance efficiency of service delivery and strengthen partnerships among all stake holders. APC’s scope of activities focuses on the development and implementation of guidelines and standard operating procedures for Prevention of Sexually Transmitted Infections, HIV Testing and Counseling (HTC), Home-Based Care (HBC), Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) and Positive Health and Dignity Prevention for person living with HIV (PHDP) programmes and financial management system coupled with support to national priorities such as mental health, mobile health services, stigma, discrimination and gender-based violence and bidirectional referrals.

Health Areas

Photo of Sally and Juanita (click to watch video)
Sally Rajigadoo (left), a beneficiary of services provided by United Brick Layers, stands with Juanita Burrows, UBL's Founder and Director, at their office in New Amsterdam, Guyana. Watch a video or view a photo gallery on the high impact and value of investing in NGOs in Guyana. Photo Credit: Joshua Yospyn.

HIV Prevention -key affected Populations (KAPs)*

  • Prevention of Sexually Transmitted HIV infections
  • HIV Testing and Counseling (HTC)
  • Positive Health, Dignity and Prevention for people living with HIV

Care and Support

  • Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC)
  • Adult Care and Support

Specific Crosscutting Areas

  • Stigma and Discrimination (S&D) Reduction
  • Promotion of Gender Equity & Reduction of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence
  • Private sector engagement

KAPs are individuals affected by HIV and AIDS or at risk of being infected by the disease such as sex workers, men who have sex with men, transgender persons, and other vulnerable populations (clients of sex workers, miners, loggers, and populations adjacent to mining and logging communities).

Videos

In a new video and infographic (PDF, 2.7 MB), NCC underscores the high impact of NGOs in the communities and the value of investing in NGOs. NCC currently operates through the three-year USAID-funded Guyana Civil Society Leadership project within the Volunteer Youth Corps, which ends in 2018. Learn more at nccgy.org. "Helping NGOs Support Guyana’s National Agenda for Health and Social Issues" is available on APC's Vimeo account or by using the players below.

(Extended Version)

Photos from Guyana


Guyana-Specific Resources

FACT
June 2015 | Video

FACT (Family, Awareness, Consciousness, and Togetherness) is an NGO that supports the entire family. Ms. Annette Jaundoo, Executive Director and her dedicated team are proud of FACT’s accomplishments in strengthening families. Since January, FACT has assisted over 500 families.

Hope For All
May 2015 | Video

Hope for all is located in Region 2 at lot 6 Belfield Suddie, Essequibo Coast. Hope for all offers HIV testing and counseling and care and support services, as well as STI, gender-based violence, and substance abuse counseling and information in a professional and comfortable environment and operates with the highest level of confidentiality.

Comforting Hearts
February 2015 | Video

Stalwarts in HIV services, Comforting Hearts (CH) has been operating in Region 5 and 6 for 17 years. Passionate about their work in providing care and support to persons affected by HIV, the members of staff are pleased to be a part of the nation’s fight against this disease. CH served 78 children and 71 adults throughout the months of October to December 2014 and are hard at work to reach more.

Violence, Sexuality and Gender Issues Affecting Children in Guyana
October 2013 | Report

This report describes the challenges children in Guyana face such as poverty, violence, and lack of support from family and teachers. Civil society organizations (CSOs) continue to advocate for the rights of all children and youth, and often provide refuge, in lieu of state protection, for children facing abuse, even with their very limited resources. But in some instances, CSOs are not well equipped to deal with sexuality and gender issues affecting children.

Ministry of Health/National AIDS Program Secretariat (MOH/NAPS)/USAID Guyana HIV AIDS Reduction and Prevention (GHARP) Project Phase II
August 2013 | Report

This report provides guidelines to address the challenge of inconsistent quality of HIV/AIDS prevention programs implementation by different groups in the various administrative regions of Guyana.

News from Guyana

2016

Sexual Harassment, Access to Health Services Still Challenging Issues for Women
March 30, 2016 | Article

On Thursday March 17, the Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) and the Advancing Partners and Communities (APC) – Guyana Project held their seventh monthly “Lunch Talk” forum focused on “Women and Workplace Discrimination” as part of a series of activities being held to commemorate International Women’s Day 2016 observed on March 8.

2015

Intimate Partner Violence Is Discussed In Recent “Lunch Talk” Session
December 07, 2015 | Article

Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) and the USAID – Advancing Partners and Communities (APC) Guyana Project has began hosting critical conversations to ensuring that barriers to attaining the highest standards of physical, sexual and mental health of all Guyanese are removed. This recent “Lunch Talk” focused on the barriers Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) people face in accessing services for Intimate Partner Violence (IPV).

Work of local NGOs involved in HIV prevention reviewed
February 25, 2015 | Article

The HIV Prevention efforts of a number of local Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) recently came under strategic evaluation with the aim of bettering the crucial services that they offer.

NGO’s input helping to curtail HIV in Region One
February 24, 2015 | General News

As a result of Youth Challenge Guyana's (YCG) efforts, the past year saw an increased number of persons seeking to be tested for HIV. Additionally there have been reports of greater consistency in the number of sex workers using condoms during their sexual encounters, while more miners have been asking for YCG field officers to visit their sites to conduct Voluntary Counselling and Testing activities. 

2014

APC Guyana's Sixteen Days of Activism Campaign
November 25, 2014 | Blog

Over the next 15 days, the Advancing Partners & Communities Project in Guyana will be doing a series of blogs to highlight different aspects of gender-based violence.