Food for the Poor Guyana in collaboration with the St Francis Community Developers donated a number of books to school libraries across the central Corentyne and New Amsterdam and launched a healthy body campaign.
At a simple presentation ceremony held at Annex restaurant, Coordinator of the charity and president of the NGO Alex Foster said the project aimed at augmenting the reading material at school libraries and the services at health clubs.
Donations comprising a quantity of books, teaching aids and toiletries were made to schools including the New Amsterdam Multilateral, Corentyne Comprehensive, Tutorial, J C Chandisingh, Lower Corentyne, Port Mourant, Central Corentyne and Winfred Gaskin secondary schools, Rose Hall Town nursery and primary schools and the Ankerville nursery school.
In addition, a television set, floor mat and a number of books were donated to the Central Corentyne Secondary School’s new project ‘The Reading Room.’
“I was impressed with the presentation made to me,” Foster said, adding that he will continue to contribute to the project until the space is conducive to learning. “Reading should become integral in a child’s life because as they leave school and even if they drop out one thing that we can give them as a gift is the ability to be functionally literate.”
The NGOs also launched the ‘Healthy hands! Healthy bodies!’ campaign. Foster said it came about after he noticed a number of toiletries at the FFTP head office in the city and asked if he could deliver some to schools.
FFTP Executive Director Leon Davis then challenged him to come up with a strategy to be used in schools where the main objective would be to teach children the importance of cleanliness.
The result was the ‘Healthy Hands! Healthy Bodies’ campaign.
Foster then urged schools’ health clubs to join the campaign to spread the message across the country. Foster also extended gratitude to the government, Region Six Education Officer Shafiran Bhajan and Food for the Poor for their support.
