Sophia residents to benefit from social services from new NGO

• NCC opens new headquarters

DPI, Guyana, Friday, June 08, 2018

Region Four residents will soon be able to access an array of social services after the National Coordinating Coalition (NCC) opened its head office at the Cummings Park Community Complex, Sophia, this morning.

The non-governmental organisation will provide residents with HIV/AIDS information, literacy, numeracy, child care protection, domestic violence, suicide prevention and arts and drama services.

Sophia Community Centre where the National Coordinating Coalition opened its office.

Executive Director, National Coordinating Coalition, Simone Sills.

Executive Director, NCC, Simone Sills told the Department of Public Information (DPI) that the opening of the 38-member coalition building was facilitated through a US AID funded project.

“The coalition is being launched because we were able to sell our technical services to one of our UN AID partners who provides technical governance and organisational strengthening for small NGOS. They will be paying that consultancy for a limited time however, we are already receiving support from the development council in Sophia, Ministry of Communities and other organisations,” Sills explained.

The coalition started its journey as a committee back in 1999 when a small group of NGOs began providing HIV prevention, care, and support activities. However, the organisation later adopted a more multi-sectoral approach to address social issues such as suicide, crime and violence, education development, gender-based violence and at-risk youth.

Today, the NGO has a presence in seven of the ten administrative regions. The body also partners with the Guyana Association of Indigenous People and Amerindian People Association to work with unserved areas in Regions One, Eight and Nine.

“We are happy to be able to share with our partners and the community our labour of love, which has been happening since 1999. We would like to see this model of civil society, government, private sector and community members working collaboratively to make things happen propagated in other communities”, Sills explained.

By: Ranetta La Fleur.

Images: Keno George.