Video Team Travels to Guyana

This month, video production specialists Sid McGregor (of PostMay Films) and Michelle Guasto made their first trip to Guyana, and in Michelle's case, her first trip out of the country. They worked hard and also had a great time enjoying the natural beauty of Guyana and making some Guyanese friends! Below are some excerpts from Sid's blog describing some of their work, and a video showing some of the fun.

Arriving in Guyana

"We had a meeting with Mr. Craig, Ryan and Sigmund that morning at the offices of POA. Very nice place with a good deal of agriculture projects going on. They have a mini-swamp with an alligator, milk production facilities (though they have slowed down that particular practice) and they are hands deep in poultry. I was very impressed with their organization and process-minded ways in which they approached our project. Very efficient."


"...we have two videos that we are doing. Both videos feature an organization called the Pomeroon Women’s Agro-Processing Association – PWAPA for short. The first video is a success story about the PWAPA located in Charity, which is very difficult to find on a map. I know a little bit about the actual Pomeroon business but not a great deal. It’s run by all women and started from nothing and is now producing a lot of food. The other video is more of a training type. We are highlighting some of the sanitary processes that the women of Pomeroon have developed, and as a direct result of these processes they are extremely successful. I’m really excited to see this place and learn so much more. It sounds like a wonderful thing."


"That afternoon we had a meeting with Dr. Maxine Parris-Aaron [Agriculture Health Specialist, IICA]. She represents the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation On Agriculture (IICA) for Guyana. She was really informative and gave us more insight into the details of what they are looking for specifically in the videos. That evening we had our third and final meeting of the day. We all met back at the POA office, this time joined by several members of Partners community as a whole who do more than just agriculture. They introduced a new member who had just been assigned as the director of the Youth Alliance program for Guyana."

Partners' FTF-Guyana Office, on St. Stanislaus College Farm

[later...]"Today we crossed the ­Essequibo River, the biggest in Guyana. En route to the town of Parika where we got on the boat – we also passed over the largest floating bridge in the world. ... From here we hopped in a Taxi that took us to the little town of Charity. Charity is where the road ends – literally and figuratively. From here you’re in a boat or on foot. This is where the city ends and the forest begins."


"I was getting excited because it was finally time to go do what we came here for. ... The women had just started preparing the food in the back. I quickly gathered the camera gear and began documenting every process that they were doing. After documenting that process – we were ready for Vilma. ... She was very well spoken and had great passion for Pomeroon and all that they are doing. When I asked her about why her and her mother started this organization she simply stated, “To help people.” They specifically focus on the wives of farmers, who want to be out of poverty."


"Saturday we met Rose at the docs at 8:30 and headed down the Pomeroon River to visit a few farms to see the fruit in it’s natural environment. The morning for the most part was pretty relaxing. Two of the women from the Pomeroon Womens Business came with us as well as Rose’s daughter. Riding on the river was awesome. It was smooth and quiet and we just relaxed as we rode along and enjoyed the view."