Six First Form students, who excelled at the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) earlier in the year, are the latest recipients of full scholarships from the Demerara Dis-tillers Limited (DDL) Foundation.
The company said this year’s awardees, Somira Dainty, of Linden, Natalia Squires, of Georgetown, and Deevina Chan, of Pouderoyen, West Bank Demerara, who gained places Queen’s College, and Anasie Fredericks, of Tapakuma Lake, Essequibo Coast, Garnett Bristol, of Kuru Kururu, and Nicholas Mohabir, of Hyde Park, Mahaicony River, who gained places at the Bishops’ High School, will join more than 20 other students who are currently benefiting from full scholarships.
In a statement issued on Thursday the DDL Foundation said the scholarship covers the main costs associated with attending school, including books, uniforms, transportation, and meals, where necessary. “All students who have excelled in the [NGSA] and who have demonstrated their need for assistance because of their financial or social constraints can apply to the Foundation,” it added.
According to the statement, Chairman of the DDL Foundation Harryram Parmesar welcomed the recipients and congratulated them on their successes at a simple ceremony last Thursday at the boardroom of Demerara Bank.
“He challenged them to take full advantage of the opportunities they are being afforded and advised that they remain focused on their goals. He warned them that it is easy to get distracted now and they “must be very careful to avoid the distractions that are all around,”” it added.
Meanwhile, DDL Chairman Komal Samaroo, in his remarks to the recipients, noted that the awardees “arrived where they have as a result of past effort.” He added that “the company recognises your talent and effort and we like to help those [who] demonstrate that they are willing to help themselves but need additional help.” Samaroo closed by saying that it was a joy to able to support their hard work.
The Foundation was launched in December 2010, with the goal of advancing the education of students who have excelled in the NGSA and have demonstrated a need for assistance.
It comprises mainly volunteers from the DDL staff body and includes a Mentorship Programme, where each child is linked to a Mentor who will monitor his/her performance and provide the necessary moral and other support during the period of the scholarship.
While the initial funding was set up by the Company, income also comes from employee fund raising activities and monthly donations from employees.
The statement added that the Foundation is being managed by a Board of Directors under the Chairmanship of Parmesar, with Sharda Veeren-Chand, Evelyn Hamilton, and Sylvia Conway as the other Directors. Vasudeo Singh is the Treasurer to the Foundation, while Allison Thorne is the legal advisor and Sharon Sue-Hang serves as Secretary to the Board.
