HEART Initiative to provide long-term aid to families, victims of MV Barima disaster
July 27 2026
President Dr. Irfaan Ali has announced the establishment of the HEART Initiative, a national body that will coordinate long-term support for survivors and families affected by the MV Barima tragedy.
The initiative, which stands for Hope, Empathy, Aid, Resilience and Trust, was unveiled during a live national address on Monday as Guyana continues to mourn one of the country’s worst maritime disasters.
President Ali said the initiative is founded on the belief that “every life is precious, every loss is shared, and every survivor deserves a nation that remembers.”
He explained that the HEART Initiative will provide sustained material, emotional and spiritual support to those affected, extending well beyond the immediate aftermath of the tragedy.
“Hope for the grieving, Empathy for the broken, Aid for the hurting, Resilience for the journey ahead, Trust that will never be forgotten… my government will stand with the survivors and the families of the victims and those still unaccounted for, and that we will do so not for a fleeting moment, not until the headlines fade, but throughout the long, tender journey of healing that stretches far beyond this period of immediate grief,” the President said.
The initiative will be chaired by Carl Stewart and will be overseen by religious and civil society leaders from across Guyana. The body will bring together representatives of various faiths and communities to provide practical assistance, emotional care and a support network for affected families.
President Ali also announced that he has asked Belizean attorney and former Foreign Minister Iman Harrison Courtenay to assist in developing the framework for financial assistance to survivors and the families of victims.
He emphasized that the assistance should not be regarded as compensation but as a demonstration of the Government’s commitment to ensuring survivors receive support and bereaved families are treated with dignity.
The President concluded by urging Guyanese to unite in support of those affected by the tragedy.
“We are Guyana, we do not abandon our own,” he said, adding that the nation should carry the memory of those who lost their lives “not as a weight that crushes, but as a light that guides us towards a future forged in kindness, unity and love.”
