GEORGETOWN, Guyana - Guyana's government is to launch a national online counselling platform, as part of an expanded, long-term psychosocial support effort for families affected by the sinking of the MV Barima last month resulting in the deaths of 73 people with more than 30 others missing and presumed dead.
Human Services and Social Security Minister Dr Vindhya Persaud said that EMBRACE will be launched this week and will connect affected persons with counsellors and specialists, including Guyanese diaspora volunteers, through confidential audio and video sessions.
She said that the platform was tested last week and is expected to go live this week, beginning with survivors and families of the MV Barima disaster before expanding further.
“It’s going to be a system where persons can request a time. They will see the list that is available, their specialties, and they can have confidential therapy and counselling from any one of these persons.”
Persaud said that the ministry has also formally requested support from the Red Cross and the United Nations, among other agencies and so far responses have come from the UN Resident Representative’s Office and the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO).
Persaud said financial assistance for families who lost a sole breadwinner, covering food, transportation, and other immediate needs, is being assessed case by case, and is separate from compensation.
“If it’s a breadwinner, we need to make sure they have food support, we need to make sure the children are taken care of, we need to make sure that the parents have that kind of support. The Office of the First Lady will be directly managing everything to do with children and their parents.”
The breadwinner-support assistance falls under the HEART initiative, President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali’s broad framework for tragedy response launched last month and Persaud acknowledged that families still awaiting the recovery of loved ones face a distinct and ongoing form of grief and appealed for public empathy amid criticism of the government’s response, cautioning against the exploitation of families’ grief.
She said that the private sector is welcome to support the government’s efforts to assist those affected by the tragedy.
Guyana’s Commission of Inquiry into the July 18 sinking of the MV Barima is finalizing preparations for public hearings, with details expected to be announced once the necessary legal and administrative arrangements are completed.
The MV Barima was carrying an estimated 179 passengers and crew when it sank. In the aftermath of the tragedy, the vessel’s captain, chief mate and the Transport and Harbours Department’s Goods Superintendent were charged with murder. Authorities are also pursuing the recovery of the sunken vessel. The Ministry of Public Utilities and Aviation, through the Maritime Administration Department, is seeking a specialized marine salvage contractor for the operation.
On July 18, 2026, the state-owned passenger ferry MV Barima capsized and sank off the Atlantic coast of Guyana near the Pomeroon River during a voyage from Georgetown to Port Kaituma. It is the worst maritime incident in Guyana’s history.
