Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) recently launched a charity dedicated to assisting deserving students in pursuing an education.
Called The DDL Foundation, it will initially focus on the advancement of education for secondary students by assisting with the main costs associated with attending school, a DDL press release said.
The assistance will include costs for books, uniforms, transportation and meals.
The main target would be students who have excelled in the National Grade Six Examination and who are deserving of assistance because of financial constraints, the release added.
In the meantime, DDL on Wednesday made the first donation to the Foundation of $1M. “DDL has over the years been committed to development of people and has helped in different ways. What we are doing now is providing a formal structure to be better able to channel resources to those children and families that need them most,” Chairman of DDL Yesu Persaud said, while making the donation.
A donation of Cdn$720 was also received from an overseas-based Guyanese group and the cheque was presented by Janet Naidoo to Chairman of the Board of the Foundation, Rudy Collins.
The Foundation, which comprises mainly volunteers from the staff at DDL, would also include a Mentorship Programme. The programme would see each child linked to a mentor who will monitor the performance of the child and provide the necessary moral and other support during the period of their relationship with the Foundation.
The Foundation is being managed by a Board of Directors under the chairmanship of Collins and other directors are Chandradat Chintamani, Loris Nathoo, Sharda Veeren-Chand and Evelyn Hamilton.
The legal advisor to the Foundation is Alison Thorne while Secretary to the Board is Sharon Sue-Hang.
