One month after the devastating sinking of the MV Barima ferry off Guyana’s Essequibo Coast that left dozens dead and dozens more displaced, the Canadian parent company of the Guyana Lottery Company (GLC) has stepped forward with a major charitable donation to support affected families.
The commitment of GY$5 million was announced Friday evening during GLC’s 30th anniversary appreciation dinner and awards ceremony by Kirk Arends, President of the Lottery and Gaming Division at Canadian Bank Note (CBN), which owns the local Guyanese lottery operator. Delivering a pre-recorded video address to event attendees, Arends framed the contribution as a tangible demonstration of CBN’s long-term commitment to the people of Guyana.
“As a demonstration of our support and commitment to the people of Guyana, Canadian Bank Note Company is pleased to announce a contribution of GY$5 million to the partners group to help provide ongoing support to survivors and bereaved families affected by this tragedy,” Arends said. He added that the firm hopes the funding will ease the recovery process for those impacted, representing a small but meaningful gesture of solidarity during what has been an extraordinarily difficult period for the coastal community.
The MV Barima, an 87-year-old ferry constructed in Scotland, sank on July 19 while carrying roughly 179 passengers and crew en route to Port Kaituma. As of current official counts, 72 people have been confirmed dead in the disaster, while 76 survivors were rescued shortly after the vessel went down. Dozens of people remain impacted by the tragedy, which has rippled through local communities across the region.
Kalima Ali, GLC’s Director and General Manager, noted that the disaster has touched the lottery company’s own community: multiple GLC staff members lost close family members in the sinking, and many of the company’s regular customers are also among the bereaved and displaced. When Guyanese President Irfaan Ali launched the national HEART (Hope, Empathy, Aid, Resilience and Trust) Initiative in the immediate aftermath of the incident, Ali said GLC and its parent firm immediately recognized the coordinated national program as the most effective channel to direct their donation to reach the families who need support most.
“I’m very thankful and pleased as a company that we are able to support this,” Ali said. The HEART Initiative was established specifically to coordinate relief and recovery support for all those affected by the MV Barima disaster, creating a centralized mechanism to pool donations and deliver aid consistently to survivors and bereaved households.
The donation was made public just under one month after the sinking, with the anniversary update of the tragedy dated August 22, 2026, by original reporter Denis Chabrol.