– did not receive GCCI 2023 report
Minister of Human Services and Social Security Dr Vindhya Persaud said on Saturday that she had not received the Psychological Needs Assessment Report on the survivors of the 2023 Mahdia dormitory fire developed by the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI). However, she stated that an officer from the Child Care and Protection Agency travels to Region Eight and interacts with them.
This was in response to reports by Stabroek News that survivors of the tragic fire, including grieving parents and other affected residents, had not received adequate mental health support.
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, Minister Persaud stated, “Mr Mounter, is the Child Protection Officer who goes into Region Eight and checks in with them.” She did not specify how often this took place or when was the last time the officer visited. Furthermore, no evidence has been presented to confirm that the officer provided specialized mental health support to the children and families impacted by the tragedy.
Meanwhile, the GCCI assessment, conducted by grief and trauma specialist Marva Langevine, was completed in late 2023. It sought to better understand the psychological needs of 45 survivors from Mahdia and nearby Micobie and, according to the GCCI the report was shared with President Irfaan Ali, Minister Persaud, and Minister of Culture, Youth, and Sports Charles Ramson.
The evaluation was intended to inform collaborative efforts between these agencies and the government to provide targeted mental health support. However, more than a year after the report’s submission, survivors and community members have reported little follow-up action.
Persaud further stated that her ministry had been in regular contact with the families and children. “… I know [the Ministry of Health] had a base in Mahdia, where they had counsellors in place reaching out to the families,” she said.
However, community members who spoke with this newspaper had expressed frustration, reporting that mental health services have remained insufficient or inconsistent. “Some of us got people who came around to talk to us, but some didn’t,” said a grieving parent from Micobie. “They came to us asking, ‘What kind of child was your daughter?’ We don’t need that kind of question in our time of grief.”
Mental health struggles have been particularly severe for the surviving children. One parent shared that her daughter, the sole survivor of the fire in her family, remains terrified to return to school, while others have expressed similar fears. The survivors’ emotional and psychological scars have been compounded by the traumatic process of identifying their children’s remains. One mother recalled the harrowing experience of receiving the DNA results months after the fire. “When I went to identify her, all I had was her torso—there was barely anything left of her.”
Though DNA testing completed in May 2023 allowed families to retrieve the remains of their loved ones, many parents continue to question the accuracy of the identification process. “There was no document proving that these were our children. We were just told, ‘This is your child’s remains,’ but how can we believe that?” said one mother.
The boys who lived in another dormitory are also struggling with trauma, yet they continue to reside there. Reports are that their dormitory remains in poor condition. Survivors have reported that inadequate living conditions and the absence of proper psychological support, further exacerbated their ongoing emotional distress.
Meantime, Assistant Chief Probation Officer Samantha Craig, who previously served as head of the Family Enhancement Services Unit, confirmed that her team continues to maintain an active relationship with the affected children. According to Craig, a WhatsApp group for the children has been set up to offer continued engagement and support. “We still have an ongoing relationship with the children, we have a Family Enhancement Services Section Region Eight [WhatsApp] group. Up to the 25th of January was our last conversation. All of those children that are under our care are still in a group and we engage each other and once they reach out – anything that they need… \We have an active group and one of them reached out to say, ‘How is everybody doing?’
