-WIN councillor reflects on street drive to help
Felicia Forrester-Sheriff, a We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) councillor for Region Four (Demerara/Mahaica), has acknowledged that it may have taken some humility to stand on the street with her bucket asking persons for donations for the families affected by the MV Barima disaster. Yet, she is happy that she contributed to the effort.
The WIN party launched a one-month donation drive following the tragedy on July 18 and last Friday announced that they will extend it for two more weeks owing to the positive responses they have been getting both locally and overseas.
For Forrester-Sheriff, she participated one day for a couple of hours. “I went down to Mohamed’s Enterprise with my other colleagues to ask for contributions for the families. I think we have achieved a lot for the month and I’m glad that people out there are assisting in this situation,” she told Kiskadee Watch on the sidelines of the launch of HERO (Humanitarian Emergency Relief Operation) last Friday.
“We just had to stand and hold the buckets; when people are passing, we just had to hold out the buckets,” she explained. “At the end of the day, this is lives we are talking about and the families do need help. I’m glad I went that day. I spent a couple of hours and did I get any contributions? Yes, I did. I got a bag full,” she laughed.
The Office of the Leader of the Opposition has said that in just 23 days, the donation drive has surpassed $20 million, reaching $20,594,000 “through the tremendous generosity of Guyanese at home and across the diaspora.”
In a statement, the Office said financial assistance has so far been directly provided to 58 of the 103 affected families, including 31 families of deceased victims, 21 survivors, and six families of individuals whose bodies were never recovered. The total raised includes US$12,466 through GoFundMe, US$4,076 through Zelle, and contributions received locally in Guyana.
Many nonperishable items received through donations have already been distributed directly to affected families, with further assistance continuing, the statement noted.
The Office said it is compiling a comprehensive register of the families of the deceased and survivors, together with a complete record of all financial assistance and donated items distributed. “Full public accountability and transparency will be provided for every dollar received and every dollar disbursed. One hundred percent of donations continue to support the victims, survivors and families affected by the MV Barima tragedy.”
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