This page is intended to offer advice to volunteers coming to Guyana. VSO do give you a lot of training, but each country is different. In particular, many placements in Guyana are based in Georgetown - a capital city rather than a remote village. Much VSO training is geared towards this idyllic remoteness - starting with the publicity videos. Many people feel that level of support offered by VSO was not enough, others are quite happy and others are pragmatic about what can be done.
In terms of each placement there is a great amount of variety in location, so what you need will depend on where you are going. In addition, places change as time goes by, so bear in mind this is written in 2002.
I suppose a lot of things can be bought in Georgetown. Here are some suggestions people have thrown at me, with comments in brackets:
When you get to Guyana you are looked after well by VSO in the first few weeks. Then you are left to fend for yourself. Crisis loans are available, but it is a good idea to bring some money purely to exchange to help live when you first go to your new place of residence.
My advice is when leaving to not close your bank accounts and credit cards . It is also advisable to take a cheque book with you to help pay people back home through the power of post. Some people give power of attorney to parents to help resolve any legal stuff. Get credit cards while you are still working before you leave the UK. Make sure no money is outstanding on them. These come in useful when coming back home - particularly if travelling after the placement, and if a job isn't already arranged for you to come straight back into. In addition re-opening a bank account can be hassle (and then things like getting contract mobile phones etc become more difficult too).
If you are interested in applying to work for VSO check out the VSO website. To contact the University about working there check out the University Website