Guyana
Field Facilitator
Guyanese Outreach
Outreach Activities in Guyana
- AIDS awareness ministry
- Teams will provide drama, puppets, dance, or music activities that will help recruit Guyanese people for AIDS awareness classes
- House visitation and evangelism in extremly poor communities
- Opportunities to witness to Hindus and Muslims
- Construction in the community
- Chance to share the gospel in Guyanese schools
Ministry Outreach Locations
Georgetown, Corriverton, and surrounding areas
HIV/AIDS information
Adult Prevalence Rate: 2.5% (2003)
People Living with HIV/AIDS: 11,000 (2003)
Deaths: 1,100 (2003)
Population
765,283
Note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to HIV/AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2005 est.)
Peoples
- East Indian - 50%
- Black - 36%
- Amerindian - 7%
- White, Chinese, and mixed 7%
Languages
English, Amerindian dialects, Creole, Hindi, Urdu
Capital
Georgetown
Economy
With a per capita gross domestic product of only $760 in 2000, Guyana is one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. The Guyanese economy exhibited moderate economic growth in 2001-02, based on expansion in the agricultural and mining sectors, a more favorable atmosphere for business initiatives, a more realistic exchange rate, fairly low inflation, and the continued support of international organizations. Growth then slowed in 2003 and came back gradually in 2004, buoyed largely by increased export earnings. Chronic problems include a shortage of skilled labor and a deficient infrastructure. The government is juggling a sizable external debt against the urgent need for expanded public investment. The bauxite mining sector should benefit in the near term from restructuring and partial privatization.
Location
Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Suriname and Venezuela
Politics
Originally a Dutch colony in the 17th century, by 1815 Guyana had become a British possession. The abolition of slavery led to black settlement of urban areas and the importation of indentured servants from India to work the sugar plantations. This ethnocultural divide has persisted and has led to turbulent politics. Guyana achieved independence from the UK in 1966, but until the early 1990s it was ruled mostly by socialist-oriented governments. In 1992, Cheddi Jagan was elected president, in what is considered the country's first free and fair election since independence. Upon his death five years later, he was succeeded by his wife Janet, who resigned in 1999 due to poor health. Her successor, Bharrat Jagdeo, was reelected in 2001.
Religions
Christian 50%, Hindu 35%, Muslim 10%, other 5%
