Refugees contributing to Guyanese safety

REFUGEES FROM SOUTH AMERICA are actively helping improve safety for
Guyanese with the manufacture of some 30,000 face masks under a joint venture between the
local Civil Defense Commission (CDC) and the global United Nation High Commission for
Refugees (UNHCR).
The face masks will help thousands of Guyanese ward off the deadly COVID-19 which has
killed 3.9 million worldwide and 466 Guyanese.
Registration and Identity Management Officer and currently acting Head of the UNHCR
(Guyana) Mission, Malaysian born Ms. Suenanica de Rozario said the facemask idea blossomed
into a significant project resulting in manufacturing of the 30,000-protective covering against the
deadly viral pandemic.
“The face masks were donated to individuals from the migrant and host communities that will be
taught how to use these materials. Some of them were taught to sew and produce clothe face
masks,” de Rozario explained.
She said following the sewing classes, the migrants made the facemasks and UNHCR “bought
the facemask from them (Refugees and host community) and donated it back to the CDC for
distribution among the regions as part of their COVID 19 prevention and mitigation.”
“So, this small project which started off as a one-off production of cloth facemasks continued
because we saw that the production was actually benefiting the women and men who were
involved because they were able to sustain their livelihood during the pandemic as some of them
had lost their jobs and their incomes were affected,” de Rozario explained.
She said the project was given a significant boost with donation by a religious organisation that
donated some sewing machines. This, she said accelerated the growth and development of the
project.

“What happened is that we continued with this project after the initial donation of cloth as
UNHCR procured more cloth and this project grew and continued for a good number of months.
Then we had a donor coming in. The donor was the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
and they donated sewing machines to participants and these sewing machines were able to
operate without electricity. These are useful for people of the hinterland who don’t have a steady
supply of electricity,” de Rosalio disclosed
She explained that participants in the project didn’t only assist in the CDC’s COVID 19
responses but also were able to learn a skill which will further empower them and significantly
assist the women to secure employment or be self-employed and earn income for themselves and
family.
“So, the phase-out part of this project was that women had obtained the skills to make cloth
facemasks. Now, they have sewing machines. So, after this, it allows them to continue sustaining
their income…and not to rely (solely) on UNHCR or any other agency. They would be
independent and sufficient,” the UN official stated.
The UNHCR was established in Guyana in 2018.