The Caricom Secretariat Staff Association presented US$1,800 to the Onspanningsoord Gehandicapte Kindren (The Foundation for Handicapped Children) and the Noskasitas Orphanage in Suriname during a recent outreach mission.
In a press release, Staff Association president Timothy Odle said the secretariat’s staff “operate as a family so all staff members from Executive Management to Office Assistants and Office Attendants made a contribution….” In the ‘spirit of community’ association members undertook an outreach mission to St Onspanningsoord Gehandicapte Kindren (The Foundation for Handicapped Children) and the Noskasitas Orphanage on Saturday.
At the Foundation, members admired the various handicraft and other work created by the children and, at a small ceremony, presented US$700 to Chairman Frank Cameron. Cameron expressed his gratitude to the Secretariat for this initiative and thanked members for both their time and financial donation. During a visit to the orphanage, the team engaged the children in indoor games as well as a rousing game of football and made a donation of $1,100.
In brief remarks, the staff association president referred to a similar outreach activity undertaken last year during Carifesta; explaining that they returned to demonstrate that this would be a sustained way for the Association to give back to Caricom nationals.
The team received support from the Suriname Ministry of Foreign Affairs which helped the members to find their way around Paramaribo. The team journeyed to Paramaribo by land on Thursday and returned to Georgetown on Sunday afternoon.
