Guyana

Although The Republic of Guyana has a relatively small population it is one of the poorest countries in South America. Income is insufficient compared to the cost of living for a large proportion of the population who either live in diabolically poor conditions or survive on income from external sources (such as family living abroad) or from illicit activities such as drug trafficking.

Because of the low GNP(Gross National Products), services in many areas are non-existant or underdeveloped and inaccessible to large sections of the population because of cost or location.

Housing standards are exceptionally poor for many families; there is a good deal of building work taking place but at the same time 'Squatting Areas' suffer from grinding poverty.

Education standards, although improving, are still very low. Adult and teenage illiteracy is significant and in the poorest areas many children do not go to school at all (sometimes because their family cannot afford a uniform!).

Public sanitation is a health risk in many areas and is fragile at best. Georgetown and surrounding areas suffered significant flooding in 2005 because of a failure in the sanitation system.

Health care is often out of reach; most medical provision is on a 'cash up front' basis. Guyana has no child protection system to speak of, and consequently victims of extreme child abuse often find themselves in Juvenile Detention Centres

Guyana is a major transit country for much of the world's illegal cocaine and therefore has a very large population of drug users. Gang crime, poverty, prostitution, kidnapping and extortion are all in obvious evidence as a result. The government have published a Drug Strategy which lists two residential Drug Rehabilitation Units as providing treatment for drug users; however both of these cost the equivalent of a full professional salary every month to attend and are therefore completely inaccessible to almost the entire drug using community.