The Ministry of Human Services and Social Security will this week launch EMBRACE, a national online counselling platform, as part of an expanded, long-term psychosocial support effort for families affected by the MV Barima tragedy.
Minister Dr Vindhya Persaud made the announcement during an interview on the Starting Point podcast on Sunday.
Dr Persaud said EMBRACE will connect affected persons with counsellors and specialists, including Guyanese diaspora volunteers, through confidential audio and video sessions.
She further explained that the platform was tested last week.
It is expected to go live this week, beginning with survivors and families of the MV Barima disaster before expanding further.
“It’s going to be a system where persons can request a time. They will see the list that is available, their specialities, and they can have confidential therapy and counselling from any one of these persons,” the minister noted.
She revealed that the ministry has also formally requested support from the Red Cross and the United Nations, among other agencies. The UN Resident Representative’s Office and the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) already responded.
On financial support, Dr Persaud said assistance for families who lost a sole breadwinner, covering food, transportation, and other immediate needs, is being assessed case by case, and is separate from compensation.
“If it’s a breadwinner, we need to make sure they have food support, we need to make sure the children are taken care of, we need to make sure that the parents have that kind of support. The Office of the First Lady will be directly managing everything to do with children and their parents.
The breadwinner-support assistance falls under the HEART initiative, President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali’s broad framework for tragedy response launched last month.
Minister Persaud acknowledged that families still awaiting the recovery of loved ones face a distinct and ongoing form of grief and appealed for public empathy amid criticism of the government’s response, cautioning against the exploitation of families’ grief.
The minister also said the private sector is welcome to support the government’s efforts to assist those affected by the tragedy.