Violence, particularly violence against women, takes a heavy toll on everyone and everything around us, and here in Guyana, it is estimated that one in every three women experience some form of violence and, quite often, it is at the hands of those who promised to care for and protect them.
After the number of reported cases of violence against women and children started to significantly rise, in 1994, Help & Shelter was founded to tackle those cases. Since then, the Non- Governmental Organisation (NGO) has become the forerunner in the protection of women and children against all forms of violence. Its work has been so extensive that in 2011 it received a Medal of Service.
Help & Shelter’s mission is to work towards the elimination of violence in all its forms by helping to create a society where attitudes to use of violence and violent practices have been transformed. According to its website, in a client base of over 8000 persons, 85 per cent are female and 80 per cent victims of spousal abuse.
Help & Shelter was the brainchild of a support group created in 1994 as an adjunct to the Georgetown Legal Aid Clinic (now Guyana Legal Aid Clinic). Since its establishment in November 1994, Help & Shelter has become a recognised leader in the fight against violence in Guyana, particularly in the areas of domestic, sexual and child abuse. Domestic violence takes a heavy toll on the individual’s emotional and physical health, and has high social and economic costs for families, communities, workplaces, and the country as a whole.
The goals of the organisation include working towards building respect for the rights of women, children, youth, and men to live free of violence and the threat of violence. Help & Shelter also provides options for victims of domestic violence by providing temporary shelter for abused women and their children, along with training that can develop psychological and practical skills needed for increased self-sufficiency.
It also provides a recourse for victims of domestic and sexual abuse by lobbying for the strengthening of relevant laws and implementation mechanisms where necessary.
One of the objectives when Help & Shelter was formed was the establishment and maintenance of a shelter for abused women and their children. It took some time for the first element of this objective to be realised, but thanks to a donation of land by the Government of Guyana, a building grant from the Basic Needs Trust Fund and donations of cash and kind and fundraising to furnish and equip the building, the shelter (now called The Ixora) was first opened in November 2000. However, keeping its doors opened has been a constant struggle for the organisation.
The shelter was closed several times as a result of the lack of resources as well as low rates of occupancy. However, in March 2006, the organisation permanently reopened the shelter’s doors to those desirous of such help. Since then, the number of women seeking refuge there has increased, in no small part, we believe, to the effectiveness of the NGO’s public education work.
Efforts have always been and continue to be made to achieve some measure of self-sustainability for the shelter, including the rearing of chickens and planting of fruits and vegetables. Regular donations of foodstuff and other supplies from a number of business entities and donations of furniture, clothes, books, and toys also help to keep running costs down.
Over the years, Help & Shelter has been instrumental in rescuing numerous women from different situations and degrees of violence. The organisation’s impact is one that is immeasurable in protection of the nation’s women and children from violence. (Times Sunday Magazine)
