In 2001, a group of volunteers embarked on a heartfelt trip to Guyana, South America, under the auspicies of Ve'ahavta, Canada's only national Jewish organization dedicated to humanitarian aid and relief in Canada and abroad.
Most of our time was spent in Bartica, a small town on the left bank of the Essequibo River in the heart of Guyana.
In Guyana, we shared our health and educational resources with the local population. In the process, we encountered some the most receptive, warm and wonderful people one can ever hope to meet.
Please enjoy the smiles and the joy on the faces of the many children who appear in this book in the beautiful country they live in.
(Limited hardcover copies of a book containing the photos on this site are available upon request.
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INTRODUCTION:
Guyana, South America. Where?
That is the question many Canadian Jewish community members asked in 1997 when Ve'ahavta - just recently founded - launched its maiden medical mission to this country of less than a million people.
They wanted to know too why medical personnel, both Jewish and non-Jewish, would travel to this very small, relatively unheard of and distant country.
The answer was simple. The Jewish people promised we would help those in need especially the most vulnerable among us. We said Never Again after the Holocaust, interpreted by many to mean anyone regardless of their background. Whether it was a man made genocide, such as the Holocaust, or a natural disaster, such as a famine or earthquake, we pledged that Never Again shall we remain indifferent in the face of human suffering. Ve'ahavta was established as a manifestation of that promise. Guyana was the beginning of that journey.
So there we were with a team of twelve volunteer including doctors, nurses and a pharmacist, setting up makeshift clinics in the rainforests of this land of thousand rivers.
Every day we'd unpack and later repack thousands of dollars in pharmaceuticals from Jewish owned Apotex and Novopharm, and administer much needed health care to 1000 men, women and children, so many of whom expressed an overwhelming sense of good cheer and sincere appreciation.
The drugs were graciously donated and the team paid from their own pockets for this tikun olam adventure. The Jewish community was truly responding to the imperative found in the Torah: Ve'ahavta l'raycha kamocha (Love your neighbour as yourself).
We enhanced many lives in Guyana, South America. It was an honor to do so and discover our Jewishness in this process in the rural villages of Guyana, a land previously unknown by many. As you leaf through the pages of this book compiled by Eli Rubenstein, my dear friend and dedicated Ve'ahavta supporter, please notice the goodness, gratitude and love so evident on the vibrant faces of our volunteers and the wonderful people of Guyana - and let it also inspire you to deeds of loving kindness.
Kol Hakavod. Thank you,
Avrum Rosensweig
Founder and Ambassador, Ve'ahavta
