Volunteers make it all possible!

When a disaster or emergency hits one of the most pivotal assets to have is manpower.

Here at the CDC, which handled all disasters in Guyana, an important source of manpower is our volunteer corps. Volunteers supplement the Commission’s response capacity to enable well-coordinated, and well-resourced responses.

Many volunteers man the emergency hotlines of the National Emergency Monitoring Systems (NEMS) where citizens call to report emergencies and get timely intervention. They have been assisting in the packing of many of the thousands of relief hampers sent to help the thousands affected by the current flooding across the country.

They have also helped with the coordination of donations, shelter management, and the execution of the vital Detailed Damage Sector Assessment (DDSA) which will be used to guide Guyana’s way forward in recovery from the flood.

“Volunteers are very critical assets of the Civil Defence Commission, they have been augmenting the staff complement in almost every area so that we can be able to effectively coordinate and respond to the current flooding situation,” CDC Director General, Colonel Craig notes.

There are approximately 300 volunteers registered with the CDC, while the CDC also works along with a number of Non-governmental Organisations (NGO) which does volunteer work. The CDC also has a special volunteer arm called the Volunteer Emergency and Response Team (VERT) which are trained to execute specialised tasks such as search and rescue, community based disaster risk management, oil spill response, damage assessment, emergency operations management, first aid, jungle operations.

The volunteers come from a wide range of background and skill set, that further helps to build the CDC’s capacity. The CDC truly values its volunteers and is grateful for the hard work that they have been doing over the past few months.

“I have to thank all of the volunteers from the different organizations, from the Volunteer Corps, and all the Regions that have been responding to the current flood situation,” Colonel Craig expresses.

Meet some of our hardworking volunteers.

John Benn, 32

“I love the opportunity CDC provides to network with so many resourceful people. I believe this augurs well for building your personal capacity”

A Mechanical Engineer, John Benn has been volunteering with the CDC for the past four weeks on the flood efforts, but has been a volunteer with the CDC since 2012.

During the current flooding he has worked as a monitor on the National Emergency Monitoring System (NEMS) hotline, has assisted with donor coordination for the flood relief efforts, and is now part of the team conducting the country’s Detailed Damage Sector Assessment (DDSA), which will be used to guide the country’s recovery. Benn is on one of the Region Seven teams.

Benn was an intern at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) when he responded to a call from the CDC for volunteers to assist with their community based disaster risk management. For him volunteering is not only an opportunity to give back to the community, but a learning experience as well.

“I saw it as a great opportunity to use my time for the greater good and also to add to my skill sets. It has been a confidence booster, and has helped with my temperance and patience,” Benn commented.

Benn was also actively involved with the CDC during the COVID-19 pandemic assisting in the distribution of food hampers to some of the most vulnerable communities in Region 6.

He was a part of the VERT training, where he was part of a team that conducted assessments for a regional disaster risk management plan for Region 5.

Caressa Henry, 32

“Volunteering has helped me to get more perspective on disasters and has made me feel more connected to communities. It has also shaped me to be humble and selfless.”

Caressa Henry, is a volunteer with the National Coordinating Coalition (NCC), a network of 39 NGOs working in Guyana since 1999. A student, Henry returned to Guyana last year, from her studies in Trinidad, due to the pandemic. She has been working with the CDC since. She was initially volunteering with the CDC during the pandemic relief efforts, and then worked with the flooding.

“I love the opportunities to learn how to operate as an emergency response and I love being involved with national efforts to help vulnerable communities,” she shares. .

Henry has been assisting with the packing of hampers and supporting the NEMS. Working at NEMS, and receiving reports on the devastation as the flooding progressed has been a memorable experience for Henry.

Tashana Legall, 23

“What I love most about volunteering with CDC is getting the opportunity to help to give back to my country, community, and people. The best part is when I see the smile on their faces that encourages me to wanna do more.”

Twenty three year old Tashana Legall is a First Aid Instructor at the Guyana Red Cross Society and has been volunteering with the flood efforts for almost a month now. She has been volunteering in Kwakwani, one of the communities hardest hit by the flooding.

For her leaving life on the coast to travel into the community to give her assistance was never a difficult decision.

“I came basically because I love helping people,” Legall says.

She was happy with her choice all the more given the great connections she has formed with some of the people she has met.

Apart from the friends and family she has picked up along the way, Henry says volunteering has also developed many traits in her that she can now use in her professional life as well.

“Volunteering has helped me to grow in a lot of ways: time management, leadership, new perspective, I’ve also learnt to connect with people more, and I just have to say thanks to CDC for always showing us that we are not just volunteers we’re family,” she shares.

Khadidja Ba, 24

“I love the humanitarian aspect of my efforts. I get to help persons who are in varying degrees of need.”

A Communications Officer at ChildLink Guyana , 24 year old Khadidja Ba has been assisting at the CDC with the hotline and the management of the spreadsheet which track donations, and she has also done hamper packing.

Ba is also a Project Coordinator with the Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN), and became a volunteer through her work with the Youth Challenge Guyana after she attended a session where a CDc representative made a presentation on how much the CDC needed help with managing it’s hotline.

For Ba it’s mostly about giving back, and knowing that in its own small way the role she is filling is making a big impact.

“Getting the calls for help and reports of flooding and knowing that my next steps will ensure that this person is well on their way to getting assistance has been a memorable experience for me,” she shares.

Through her experiences with volunteering she is also all the more grateful for the many privileges in her own life.

“It has definitely helped me to be more empathetic, and made me appreciate the fact that I do not live in an area that is prone to flooding,” she says.

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“When I went to the gymnasium to pack hampers I was amazed by all the hard work, dedication and supplies, even more so the layers and layers of donations and hampers to be sent out. It was really inspiring.”