Overview
The only English-speaking country in South America,
Guyana is a product of its colonial past. A third of
its population is descended from African slaves imported
by the Dutch to work on sugar plantations, and about
half from indentured East Indian agricultural workers
brought in after slavery was abolished.
This history partially explains why Guyana, bordering
Venezuela, Brazil and Suriname, is unique among the
Latin America and the Caribbean countries. The fact
that the Hindu and Muslim religion is practiced by over
40 percent of its population underscores its unique
population composition.
This divide between Afro-Guyanese and Indio-Guyanese
heritages has formed the basis for the country’s
political parties and its politics, which continue to
be contentious and destabilizing. The election of Cheddi
Jagan as its President in 1992 marked what is considered
Guyana’s first free and fair election since it
declared its independence from Great Britain in 1966.
The election of Indian Bharrat Jagdeo in 2001 was followed
by widespread public and violent demonstrations.
Amidst this contentious political environment, Guyana
faces a declining economy, rising crime and narcotic
trafficking. Its HIV/AIDS rate is among the highest
in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Since the late 1990s when the government divested itself
from many industries, agriculture and mining remain
Guyana's most important economic activities, with sugar,
bauxite, rice, and gold accounting for up to 75 percent
of export earnings.
The USAID Program: In the current
year, USAID has plans for $4.45 million in programs
aimed at the country’s major concerns, including
the spread of HIV/AIDS, enabling an environment for
sustained growth of value-added exports and the strengthening
of democratic institutions. In the former, USAID is
conducting a national survey of high risk groups and
working with local non-governmental organizations (NGO’s)
to reduce related stigma and discrimination.
USAID is also providing training of national elections
commission personnel to increase credibility in the
election process and providing technical assistance
to parliamentary sub-committees. Likewise it is also
seeking creative solutions to decrease the current court
case backlogs.
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