GEPAN, Georgetown – As the country prepared to celebrate the Christmas holiday season, hundreds of children from modest and impoverished homes were about to face a rather bleak Christmas morning. To add a bit of Christmas cheer, excitement and smiles to their faces, GEPAN with the support of its donors, gathered bags of toys for girls and boys and headed out into the country!
In communities such as Smith Creek and Tobago in Region 1 (Barima-Waini), 147 children received toys. Our beneficiaries in Region 1 were mainly indigenous children from communities that are social and economically challenged.
Children about to open their gifts in presence of Regional Chairman Brentol Ashley and MP Collin Croal who helped to facilitate GEPAN’S outreach.
Another 116 children from Region 2 (Pomeroon-Supenaam), were also gifted toys. Beneficiaries in Region 2 hailed from Pomona, Capoey, Mainstay Whyaka, Lima and Somerset and Berks villages.
Toys included dolls, stuffed animals, doll houses, battery-operated keyboards, trains, transformer figurines, guitars, microphones and mini learning computers. Some older children received school bags and stationery.
This family is from Somerset & Berks on the Essequibo Coast and lives in extreme poverty. It was one of the recipients of food hampers.
Several families on the Essequibo Coast also received hampers with food stuff to last at 1 to 2 months per family. Families included pensioners living alone.
Families on the Essequibo Coast are highly dependent on the rice industry and farming for their livelihoods. However, the rice industry took a blow in 2015 with the abrupt termination of the PetroCaribe deal. The last crop in 2018 also yielded disastrous results for many rice farmers whose crops were infested with bugs. As a result, hundreds of acres were burnt while others generated no profit. Some farmers being unable to reinvest in a new crop, abandoned their farms. The economic consequences of this unexpected situation inevitably has a ripple effect for poor families.
Some of the 26 children in Lima who received toys
Nevertheless, it is our belief here at GEPAN that no child should be forgotten at Christmas or ever at all. This is why, with the support of our donors and our network, we set out to spread some holiday joy. To help coordinate our activities, we were lucky to receive the assistance of local leaders such as MP Mrs. Yvonne Pearson-Fredericks and former National Toshaos Council (NTC) Chairman Joel Fredericks in Region 2, as well as that of the Regional Chairman for Region 1, Brentol Ashle, and MP Mr. Collin Croal.
Young volunteer Bindia Isurdeen (in images above) distributed toys to 23 children from Pomona
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