It aims to promote ways for people to combat racial divisions in their daily lives, organisers said last week.

ROC member, Ms. Anna Florendo said the `Race Free Chain' allows persons of one race to reach out to those of another race, linking thousands in a way that can transform relations among the peoples of Guyana.

Florendo, at a news conference at the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) head office in Georgetown, explained that the centrepiece of the new campaign is a packet of three `Race Free Chain' postcards.

Forty thousand of the cards were printed and have been made into packets of three each for distribution.

She said 7,000 cards were to have been distributed Friday through Mosques, and 7,000 through supermarkets yesterday.

Some 20,000 will also be distributed through Christian churches today.

Distribution of the others will be done through several other organisations, she explained.

Florendo said the person who first receives the packet, keeps one of the postcards and hands the packet to a person of another race. That person in turn will take one of the two postcards and pass on the remaining one to someone of another race.

She said that as the pack changes hands with each person explaining the idea of a `Race Free Chain', new links will be made with people of other races.

Each person who keeps a card commits him/herself to undertake one of the activities listed on the card.

The activities include:
* Make a special effort to meet and talk with a person of another race.

* Speak positively about people of another race.

* Bring along a person of another race to an activity you normally do with your own.

* Object to fabrications and exaggerations made in your presence.

* Assist person(s) being taunted, harassed or threatened because of race.

ROC had previously launched `A Race Free Zone' campaign, which was taken primarily to offices and places of employment and concentrated on not offending other people, not discriminating and not speaking badly about people of other races.

Another ROC member, Ms. Michelle Sumner said an evaluation of that campaign was done and it was found to have been effective.

She said there were cases where employees had to be suspended from their place of work after they reportedly made remarks that offended persons of another race.

For persons to make remarks, which were offensive to others of another race, was not in keeping with the slogan on the posters that were placed in the working environment and was also not in keeping with the theme of the campaign, `A Race Free Zone', she pointed out.

The new campaign challenges people to take a more positive and active role and encourages all Guyanese to reach out and make contact with people of other races.