'Health Watch Sweepstakes'

Exclusively for Residents of the Rupununi. Find the white RAM tents at the football game this afternoon, or at Karengesh (City Boys) club tonight from 9pm for a chance to check your health as well as the opportunity to win a rugged, new wrist watch.

Tabatinga football club will be battling Snatchers on the pitch in St Ignatious from four pm this afternoon. RAM will be on hand to promote healthy lifestyle choices and offering tests for HIV, blood pressure, vision, and blood sugar.

For the late night crew, be there at Karengesh, also known as 'yellow shop' over the creek tonight for your final chance. Priority will be given to first time and male clients as the activity is designed to target those groups who are especially at risk for contracting sexually transmitted infections.

Only those tested for HIV today will be eligible to win the new watch donated by friends of RAM. Special thanks to all those who made this health promotion possible. Volunteering in your community is a great way to give back, build your CV, and make a difference at the end of the day. Visit our tents or the RAM shack any time for volunteer application forms.

The Adventures of Sang and Stephanie.

Two UK medical students from London are wrapping up two weeks of volunteering in remote southern Guyana with RAM. Stay tuned for more updates and tales of adventure.  

Movie Night Fund-raiser: This Saturday!

Have a great time at the big screen with the whole family. Come out and support the first fund-raising event organized entirely by the volunteer corps in Lethem.

All proceeds will benefit the community health and development activities of Remote Area Medical Guyana. Special thanks to Imon wireless for sponsoring this activity and putting together a great show.

Below is a totally random photo stolen from Noel's BBM profile recently showing some smiling members of the RAM crew.  Thanks Noel.

Update:  This activity, organized by the RAM Ranger volunteer group, will go down as a great learning experience for all those who put in their time to support.  The good news is that the activity did make a profit, even if the amount was less then some might have expected.  Lethem is a developing town but even by Guyana standards is not well off - made up of residents who struggle every day to make ends meat.  Fund raising in these areas takes experience, patience and tempered expectations. Special thanks to all those dedicated volunteers who popped popcorn, made icicles and put up flyers.  Also special thanks to Imon for their invaluable support which made this activity possible.  Raising awareness about volunteer opportunities, and empowering today's youth to make a difference is always a worth while activity. 

Youth Volunteers Rising

Special thanks to all the volunteers and businesses who came up big to combat illegal and harmful garbage dumping in the Lethem area.  Pictured here are some highlights of the recent volunteer activity.  RAM Guyana volunteers have organized themselves into a group complete with a leadership structure and fundraising ambitions.  Stay tuned for more activities from these rangers as this was there first community action.

Philbert and Jessica put the finishing touches on some of the signs aimed at helping residents do the right thing.  Up until recently it was impossible to know where the official dump was, and numerous makeshift sites began polluting the savannas.  These signs were made possible by generous support from Da Silva's House of Optics.

Believe it or not the picture above is not in fact the official Lethem dumpsite.  It is a convenient gravel pit about half way to the real location that has plastic bags blowing as far as the eye can see.

Apollo Kanhai is pictured here leading discussions with RAM and Red Cross volunteers prior to the collaborative action for environmental health.

Manager Andre Yhap of the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry Lethem Branch hands over three new bins in front of the RAM Guyana office while volunteers look on.   

The Winning Slogan - for Our Environmental Health.

Are you a resident, friend or lover of the Rupununi district? Are you also sick and tired of seeing the once pristine landscape being trashed?

Let us know what you think, what we can do at the grass roots level and click 'Like' to stay in touch on facebook. Show your support for a Clean, Litter-free, Environmentally Aware Rupununi.
This logo was developed out of a competition of local RAM volunteers to come up with a campaign slogan to address these urgent issues of environmental health. Check out fb/RAMGuyana for more pics of the initial activities.

After receiving numerous entries from the local volunteer corps and beyond - the winning slogan has been selected and unveiled at the recent clean-up campaign in Central Rupununi.

The winning entry was submitted by John Forde of Lethem and has since been developed into the logo above. We need your help to take the CLEAR campaign to the next level.

Special thanks to the Guyana Times Magazine for publishing a Sunday spread on the launch of the campaign.

Medical Outreach, By Air.

A Doctor, Dental technician, Physical Therapy Assistant, and a Vision Care worker all took part in the most recent collaboration between RAM and the Ministry of Health. Extending the agencies scarce human resources to reach the most isolated villages and settlements is what the aircraft does well.

Dr Torres, originally from Wowetta village and now working at the Annai Health Center, was able to visit the village of Apoteri for the first time to provide services alongside his colleagues. The team reached over one hundred clients including a boat full from the nearby village of Rewa.  Pictured above in the foreground is Dentex Atkinson Daniels unloading the boat after the ride from the village back to the airstrip.

One of the local teachers was identified by the team as having a critical eye condition and was airlifted that afternoon and subsequently flown to Georgetown to see the Ophthalmologist. Pictured above is a disabled, seven year old SPAN client who is being raised by his grandmother Maud, currently with no public assistance or support of any kind.

An aerial survey was also done on the airstrip development project at Rewa following discussions and a request for support from village councilors. RAM has repeatedly assisted villages with the development and certification process in collaboration with government authorities.

In Our Rupununi Savanna?

Meeting this evening at RAM Shack in Lethem to deal with this issue. Be there and/or let us know what you think on Facebook.

Flying Doctors Screen Dozens for Surgery.

In recent flight activity, Dr Irv Chan and Dr Arbib Godette (pictured above) took separate trips to remote villages to identify candidates for the upcoming surgery expedition in Lethem this weekend.

The former headed South wile the latter visited three villages in the Pakaraima Mountains during the course of a single afternoon. These isolated clients suffering from a wide variety of injury and illness now have a chance to get on the list for a surgical solution to their suffering.

While many more were screened, over two dozen were identified to see the team starting work on Saturday morning thanks to the Ministry of Health. RAM is committed to extending basic services in partnership to the most far flung communities in the interior of Guyana.

World Environment Day Triggers Action.

Volunteers from the Lethem area will be combating illegal dump sites this Saturday morning with a unique clean-up campaign. A series of follow up activities have been planned for the Central Rupununi to address the issues of environmental Health.

Pictured here is Head Mistress of Arapaima Primary school receiving to donated trash bins from RAM driver Philbert Malcolm. Stay tuned for the launch of an exciting regional campaign to target this issue along with volunteer opportunities.

Wai Wai Medical Evacuation.

A young boy from Masakenari suffered a fractured and dislocated elbow this week and had to be air-lifted along with two other patients from Aishalton hospital.

On the same trip a load of vaccines and medical supplies was delivered to the isolated village in extreme southern Guyana. In addition, three recovering patients including two small children who had previously been evacuated for Leishmaniasis or 'Bush Yaws' were safely delivered home to the same village after a month of IV treatment injections at the Regional Hospital.

To round off the exercise, the two school teachers and Community Health Worker were able to receive their salaries and the normal load of mail, farine-laden student care packages, and even a small parcel of poisoned arrow tips made the trip in the RAM aircraft.

The village chief was not there as he had just left the nearest village (Para Bara) and was said to be expected in the village most of a week later by boat.

Rupununi Youth Target Illegal Trash Dumps.

To mark World Environment Day a series of activities were led by Remote Area Medical volunteers and Staff to address the serious issues of environmental health in the Rupununi district of southern Guyana.

Pictured here are some of the new garbage bins sponsored by V. Dalip Enterprise to serve the Lethem area. Stay tuned for more updates and photos of the day's activities.

Local Volunteers should be on the lookout for ongoing opportunities in the coming weeks to help contribute to greener and cleaner communities.

A what? An Elocution Competition.

It's a really great way to get students to practice speaking clearly in front of a crowd. In this case RAM organized a contest at the St Ignatius Secondary using Caribbean Poetry - and received an overwhelming response.

The winners of the event, pictured here, were Deshona Mentis who performed her poem with immaculate fluency and Rodrigues Thompson who took home the prized trophy for the boys with a nice piece of oration.

This was only one of the events organized by the School in collaboration with the RAM Team as apart of their week long activities for Youth Week, the 21st through the 25th of May.

Mrs. Archer the schools' Head Mistress expressed her gratitude for RAM's efforts in assisting to boost the importance of education to the students.

The participants were: Mary Parker, Juda Kenyon, Rosalie Yarde, Rodrigues Thompson, Deshona Mentis and Kenroy Robinson. Six Students competed with a breakdown of three males and three females.

The judges were: RAM's PR and Communications Officer Jessica Xavier, Ms. Torres of St. Ignatius, and Mr. Noel Prudencio of the Red Cross Association. The MC for the event was Mr. Philbert Malcolm who had the crowd rolling and was also responsible for a targeted talk on HIV and sexual health in between the competitive events.

All contestants who participated did a fantastic job and got a chance to develop their confidence and public speaking skills at the same time. RAM Guyana is committed to promoting opportunities for the youth to develop into leaders of tomorrow. Thank you for supporting these initiatives.

Set for Life?

Pictured here is a young girl from Potarinau Village upon returning from treatment for an arm fracture in Georgetown. The healed arm shows a dramatic bend between the wrist and elbow.

There must be a good reason that her arm could not be set properly after an expensive emergency flight to the top public institution in the country.

Her name and details have since been recorded for entry into the SPAN database which helps track and serve patients in remote villages suffering from medical anomalies. She was dropped home to her village's home-made airstrip on the way south for another patient.

Reminder: Volunteer Orientation Meeting Today in Lethem.

Any folks interested in finding out more about RAM Guyana and are considering volunteering can come in to the RAM office at five pm today.

Opportunities exist in a number of areas to join the team and make your contribution to build a healthier community. Perhaps your idea can become the next initiative to make a difference? A great way to give back, gain experience, travel, build your CV and meet new friends. Quote of the day:

"I always wondered why somebody didn't do something about that. Then I realized I was somebody."

Where the Women are Strong.

These two female ambulance attendants did not hesitate to show their brawn at Ogle Aerodrome the other day responding to an emergency flight.

Without hesitation the ladies repositioned a full sized male patient with multiple leg fractures onto the stretcher and into the waiting Ambulance. Impressive stuff.

It is understood that one of the top international athletes for Guyana is a female power lifter - London anyone?.

Exam Papers delivered. Mother's Day Labaria.

If your final test papers do not make it to your school on time, it's simple - you go home and wait for another year. Along with a load of hospital supplies, the 2012 exam papers were flown in to Aishalton secondary school to ensure that all those months of teaching and studying did not go to waste.

Every secondary student in the entire Caribbean (that includes the jungle of Guyana) takes their standardized 'CXC' exams on the same day. Since the content is identical throughout the Region, the schedules and security are tight. RAM is proud to partner with the Ministry of Education to deliver the exams and give these isolated students their best chance at a brighter future.

Pictured above is the smiling Ministry of Education Representative, Ms Boston, who along with a police escort, uplifted the test papers for safe keeping. 

Earlier Sunday morning a Labaria snake bit victim had to be evacuated from the mountain village of Yurong Paru along with a pregnant lady experiencing complications. Incidentally the crew got back to base just in time to witness the end of one of the most stunning games of football in the history of the English game.
And more importantly, special Mother's Day greetings to all our readers. On a visit to the Lethem hospital today, the mother who was recently evacuated from Sawariwau via the Bullock Cart was seen walking, smiling and ready to go home! A happy Mother's Day indeed.