Listening First: A Conversation with Alliah S.

Today, I had the opportunity to meet Alliah S., a biologist and co-founder of the University of Guyana Indigenous Students Society (UGISS). UGISS is a network to support Indigenous students studying either remotely or in person at UG across Guyana. Since graduating from the University of Guyana, she has gone on to work at the Iwokrama International Centre, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to demonstrating how tropical rainforests can be conserved while being used sustainably for ecological, social, and economic benefit.

Prior to meeting in person, we connected online to discuss TerraWash and the goals of our prototype testing. After completing testing in Georgetown, we met again to reflect on the results and discuss next steps. Our conversation focused on the pilot phase, including which regions of Guyana would be most suitable for implementation and how the rollout could be carried out effectively.