Guyanese Orphanage Receives American Assistance
In 2007, the Embassy received funding in the form of a J. Kirby Simon Grant to help the Joshua House Orphanage complete a dormitory structure. The structure consists of a dining hall on the bottom floor and a dormitory and bathroom on the second floor. The grant has been used for various expenses such as materials and labor, and was supplemented by in-kind donations (materials) from the local private sector.
Joshua House was able to secure additional funding, which will enable them to put the finishing touches on the structure so that the children may occupy it. At this point, the structure is almost complete.
In 2008, the Consular Section extended their outreach by taking about two dozen of the Joshua House children to the National Park to participate in the Consular Section’s Leadership Day. Each Consular Section employee paired up with one of 21 children from the Joshua House. The pairs were able to get to know one another better, as mentor and mentee sat down together for a picnic style lunch in the Park. Afterward, the group engaged in recreational activities; playing traditional Guyanese childhood games and visiting manatees in the Park’s pond.
The event provided the children a different atmosphere than the one they are accustomed to, and afforded them the opportunity to learn some of the basic principals which guide the Embassy staff, such as teamwork and interpersonal relationships. The cross cultural experience was particularly enlightening to the American staff in terms of learning games that were not part of their own childhood repertoire.
Joshua House is an orphanage located at 255 Thomas Street in Georgetown, Guyana. The caretakers are Clifford Accra and his wife, Gladys. They house approximately 65 boys and girls that range in age from 4 to 15.