The idea for two Greenwich High School sophomores to start fundraising for the people of Guyana was inspired by an Uber ride.
As she tells it, Eva Barber, said a random conversation with an Uber driver originally from Guyana who talked about the deprivation in his home country sparked an idea. When she learned that children in that South American country’s lack of basic necessities that Greenwich students take for granted, she recounted the conversation to her friend Tyler Bell.
Eva Barber and Tyler Bell founded Gains for Guyana and are planning a series of fundraising events. Dec 4, 2024 Photo: Leslie Yager
The two honor students who both live in Glenville said they’d been itching to find a way to give back to the world, and were keenly aware of their privilege living in Greenwich and attending GHS.
“We’re so lucky here. We have good teachers and a good quality education,” Eva said. “That will take us far.”
As for the Uber ride, Eva recalled, “It’s a random story. One night we were Ubering to Tyler’s house and I was talking to the driver who was from Guyana and suggested the children in his home country needed help.”
“She called me and bounced the idea off me,” Tyler said. “I was all in.”
Tyler and Eva said they were surprised to hear that not only do many children in Guyana lack computers, they lack simple items like pencils. And nutritious food. And clean water.
“They need everyday necessities,” Eva said.
The two wasted no time acting on that Uber driver’s suggestion.
While Gains for Guyana is not affiliated with GHS, Eva said with her father’s help they were in the final stages of establishing a 501(c)3 and have set up a compelling Go Fund Me, “
Eva said through her father’s work, he happened to have contacts in Guyana’s landlocked Region 9 that he was able to leverage to help Eva and Tyler make connections on the ground.
From the Gains for Guyana GoFundMe.
As they note on their Go Fund Me page, Eva and Tyler said according to UNICEF, 43.4% of the nation survives off less than $5.50 a day, which puts them at the World Bank poverty line.
“Every child deserves an opportunity to learn, and we want to make that possible for the children in Guyana.” – Eva Barber and Tyler Bell
“Poverty poses a significant challenge for many families, especially impacting the quality of and ability to access education for children,” they said.
While people of a certain age recall the details about cult leader Jim Jones and the Jonestown, Guyana massacre of 1978, Eva and Tyler said they had only recently become aware of that tragedy.
“For us, it’s the war in Ukraine we all know about,” Tyler said. “About half the people our age who we’ve talked to don’t even know where Guyana is.”
In the short term, Tyler and Eva have organized a group of about 17 GHS students to host a “Photos with Santa” holiday fundraising event for “Gains for Guyana,” at the American Legion building in Glenville.
“Our friend Nate Hinton who is part of Greenwich Scouting helped us find the location,” Tyler said.
The Photos with Santa event will take place on Sunday, December 15 from 12:00 to 5:00pm. Families are invited to have their photos taken with Santa and enjoy a bake sale, raffle, drawing station, candy table and Letter-Writing to Santa. The American Legion building is located at 248 Glenville Road.
Families don’t need an appointment for the Dec 15 event – they can walk in, register with their name and email, and for just $15.00, they will receive digital copies of their photos via an app.
The Gains for Guyana team said they had secured sponsors including Raphael’s Bakery for the bake sale, and both Smart Kids and Splurge for raffle donations, but would be grateful for additional sponsors.
Down the line, Tyler and Eva are considering a 5K run fundraiser in the warm weather.
And they hope to travel in person to Guyana after they reached their $10,000 goal.
Gains for Guyana has an Instagram page with photos and more information on the Photos with Santa event.
“There’s so many issues in the world, but if you focus on one, you’ll go far,” Eva said.
Anyone interested in sponsoring the Gains for Guyana Photos with Santa event or possible future event can reach Eva and Tyler at [email protected]