Latest update May 14th, 2024 12:59 AM
Dec 09, 2018 Countryman, Features / Columnists
By Dennis Nichols
As Guyanese continue to digest the contents of our 2019 national budget, and as the Christmas buzz increases to a blast, thoughts may turn to those among us to whom this economic ‘exigency’ means little. Thank God that as the seasonal end-of-year spending spree looms, those thoughts include consideration for society’s poor, marginalized and destitute members by caring individuals, and organizations such as the one featured today.
One way of estimating how close we are to Christmas is the appearance of large red kettles at strategic points in the city, especially its commercial hubs. Standing next to them are foot ‘soldiers’ of what is likely the world’s most peaceful fighting unit – the Salvation Army.
The kettles are actually collection coffers for public donations which help fulfil the organization’s goal of meeting human needs while preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. This year’s kettling drive was launched last month at the Georgetown Club, where a cabinet minister made the first donation on behalf of the government. Traditionally, Guyanese have opened their hearts, and purses, to this exercise.
Started in 1865 by a former Methodist minister named William Booth, and his wife Catherine, in London, England, the Salvation Army reached then British Guiana in 1895, eight years after its first Caribbean mission was set up in Jamaica, which is now its Caribbean Territorial Headquarters. In the last century-and-a-half, it has become a household name synonymous with Christian faith and charity.
The Christmas Kettle appeal may be for some, the most visible sign of its humanitarian thrust, but there is much more, including its rehabilitation programme for drug addicts and alcoholics, feeding programme for schoolchildren, care for the elderly, and disaster relief.
In its early years in England, the organization reached out to ‘undesirables unwelcome in polite Christian society’ and included morphine addicts and prostitutes. Its founder was quoted as saying, “The three ‘S’s’ best expressed the way in which the Army administered to the ‘down and outs’: first soup; second soap; and finally salvation.”
Like any diligent fighting force, the Salvation Army has ranks. A General heads the organization at its London Headquarters. Below him is a hierarchy of officers including Brigadier, Colonel, Major, Captain, and Lieutenant. The Guyana Division is headed by Divisional Commander, Major Matignol Saint-Lot, who is serving his third term in this country.
I recently spoke with the Haitian-born Salvationist, who said many people are still not fully aware of the Salvation Army’s humanitarian efforts, while some take the organization for granted. He added, “Our aim is to touch the lives of all those in need, in keeping with our mission statement which includes ‘to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination’ ” He emphasized that the last two words are very important since the ‘Army’ serves not only the Christian community, but all those who are in need.
Because the organization is first and foremost a church, its emphasis is on dissemination of the Christian gospel as expressed through the life and teachings of Jesus. Its many services are thus focused on the gospel message, its extension into tangible acts of charity, and the mitigation of human suffering. Apart from the services already mentioned, the organization also trains youths spiritually and socially to help counteract social ills.
Alleviation and salvation are offered globally through a network of churches which operate in tandem with its shelters, charity shops, schools, and rehabilitation centres among others.
In Guyana, the government makes an annual subvention to the Salvation Army, while funds are also accessed from its London Headquarters and from its Jamaica regional headquarters, especially in response to local and regional disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake. One local example was its response to the West Coast Demerara flood earlier this year.
In addition to its annual Christmas Kettle drive, the Salvation Army also receives donations from individuals, business entities, and philanthropic agencies like Food for the Poor, while the public assists with donations of clothing and food. Its current kettle appeal which ends on Christmas Eve will go towards activities such as the distribution of food hampers and gifts for the less fortunate, as well as for children’s parties.
The Drug Rehabilitation Centre in Kingston is headed by Major Ulrick Thibaud, Administrator and Pastor of the Men’s Social Centre there. In a recent interview, he, and Programme Director, Steve Sookraj, outlined its genesis and operations. By the end of our discussion it was clear that the organization is rendering laudable service to this country, and offering hope in often seemingly-hopeless situations.
Thibaud and Sookraj disclosed that the Rehabilitation Centre opened its doors to alcohol and drug addicts in August 1996, and encompasses several aspects of rehabilitation and readjustment, including a halfway house where ‘patients’ are monitored for their readiness to go back into society.
In first outlining the general scope of the Salvation Army’s operations in Guyana, Major Thibaud explained that there are nine units, (churches) from Bartica to New Amsterdam, which collectively minister to members even as they contribute meaningfully to the greater society. Among their outreach efforts are a senior citizens’ home in Wortmanville, an over-60 club, and several youth outreach groups.
It is clear that the organization’s spiritual and practical aspects complement each other, for example when Major Thibaud spoke of schoolchildren and elderly persons receiving a hot meal every day, groceries being distributed to the elderly at least once a month, and clothing/footwear, (sometimes including entire wedding suits) given to those in need.
According to Sookraj, the rehabilitation of drug addicts involves a six-month, 12-step detoxification regimen of which abstinence is a major component, in addition to assertive skills training and anger management. Other core elements are classroom education and counselling. Despite these interventions, there are still some relapses, but the overall success rate hovers between 50 and 70 percent. He added that the addictions are mainly to alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine, but there are also cases of cross-addiction.
Over the years the programme, facilitated by experienced counsellors, has benefitted hundreds of men, and there are plans to develop a similar programme for women which could be in operation by next year. It also offers counselling to young men, including schoolchildren, from as young as 12 years old.
Upon successfully completing the 6-month intervention, clients are transferred to the halfway house for three months where the goal is to prepare them for reintegration into family and society so they can once again become ‘socially acceptable’ and productive citizens.
To this end, the Salvation Army may assist them in getting back on their feet by helping them recover, or apply for, documents like birth certificates and identification cards which may have been lost or discarded, and facilitating employment by liaising with employers. As spirituality is also part of the overall rehabilitation effort, clients are expected to attend church every Sunday. Two spiritual counsellors help guide them in this crucial aspect.
The above is not a fully comprehensive representation of the Salvation Army’s operations globally or locally, but it should be enough to encourage us in rededicating our support, particularly for its social outreach efforts. Our destitute population seems to be growing, especially in urban areas. (Walk the length of Regent Street any night after 7 p.m. and see for yourself) The organization is doing its part to mitigate their all-too-visible suffering.
There are still 15 days left for the Christmas kettle to come to a boil, on Christmas Eve. The Salvation Army has demonstrated that it possesses both a spiritual and a social conscience. We Guyanese are not bereft of either. The poor, the homeless, and the addicted are members of an extended family called Guyanese, who are worth fighting for. Join the army – or at least support it.
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