New NGO to assist less fortunate

Dec 08, 2009 News

“I started this foundation to honour the memory of my grandmother. She always gave to the poor and needy”.
Those were the words American-based Guyanese Collette Medas-Forbes on the launching of a new non-governmental organisation, the Daisy St. Hill Memorial Foundation, which is named after her late grandmother.
An ordained pastor and a lawyer by profession, Medas-Forbes said that with the assistance of her many friends and relatives abroad she hopes to bring smiles to those that cannot afford certain basic luxuries. She said that although the foundation will assist persons of all strata of society she has a special interest in the welfare of needy children that she opined are in abundance in Guyana.
Speaking with a sense of accomplishment, Medas-Forbes said that she has already gotten the approval from the Ministry of Education to start a feeding programme in two city schools. She explained that although the foundation does not have a building of its own currently, plans are in train to purchase a plot and commence construction as early as possible.
As a former national tennis player, Medas-Forbes said that aside from the feeding programme her foundation will be offering sports scholarships to children. She said that the children, who will be selected for the scholarships, are those that show much promise but cannot pursue their dreams due to a paucity of funds. Additionally, the foundation will be targeting the elderly to offer its assistance.
Ms. Medas-Forbes informed that the foundation will be managed by a Board of Directors in her absence. Having lived in the United States since 1982, she said that she will have to trek between the two countries since she has to continue her work and also acquire the necessary supplies to keep the work of the foundation going.
Shortly a number of barrels will be arriving with supplies to facilitate donations for the festive season. She stressed that the foundation is a charitable one and will not be seeking to make any profit.
The Pastor said that God gave generously and it is the same way that mankind should give back to the society when they can. Medas-Forbes said that she chose to go down this road since the teachings of her grandmother, who she grew with, still resonates with her up to this day.
Reflecting on the days that she lived with her grandmother, she recounted that the selfless woman left herself undone just to ensure that persons in need were fed and clothed.
She said at no time did her grandmother turn away anyone from her home that went there in need. She recalled times when the food that the family had was so little but yet the mouths were plenty and she (Daisy St Hill) went hungry just to ensure that others could have been fed. As a way of saying thanks to God, the foundation will have a thanksgiving service this Saturday at the Church of Christ Instrumental, on Hadfield Street.