Arya Samaj shelter project on the move

Nov 15, 2010 News

PORT MOURANT, CORENTYNE – The New Jersey Arya Samaj Humanitarian Mission is moving ahead with its plans to construct a shelter for the needy at Port Mourant.

Blueprint of the shelter

Head of the Mission Pandit Suresh Sugrim, over the weekend, in a telephone interview from New Jersey, said that the process is moving smoothly. Approximately US$50,000 is already in hand to commence the job. Work is expected to start by January 2011 and be completed within two years.
Pandit Sugrim launched a fundraising drive in some sections of North America and Guyana in a bid to raise about US$150,000 for the construction of the facility. To this end, an ongoing special activity is being held in the United States of America, Canada and Guyana where families are asked to donate a hollow block. This secured just about US$8,000 worth of hollow blocks so far.
The venture is jointly executed with the Guyana chapter headed by Dr. Ramesh Sugrim. The local members are organizing a fund raising activity on November 26 on the lawns of the Tagore Memorial Secondary School. For this show and dance, both local and overseas artistes including Terry Gajraj, Vijai and Ranjeev all out of New York are expected to take the stage.
The shelter is expected to house senior citizens, victims of abuse, orphans and incapacitated persons. The structure is to be located on the plot behind the Port Mourant Vedic Mandir at Ankerville.
The proposed 180-foot by 60-foot building will house some 200 persons. Local volunteers are to man the facility with the guidance of overseas-based Guyanese.
The blueprint for the facility was done in October. The land is owned by the Port Vedic Mandir which would provide a 99-year lease.
When completed, the Port Mourant shelter would also offer a comprehensive range of service including skills training, counseling and rehabilitation programmes. The idea to build a home for deprived persons had its genesis in what Pandit Sugrim called his analysis of the situation and the need to, “help your fellow man.”
He acknowledged that there are other homes in Region Six but the difference is that this one would be “run like similar homes in the United States that are owned by an organization.”
He said the facility would place more emphasis on senior citizens. “Some US based Guyanese had to send their parents back home for different reasons. Many are not comfortable where they are right now. Many are seen as an unwanted burden. This is where the Arya Samaj shelter comes in.”
He said domestic violence, substance abuse, neglect of senior citizens and other social ills appear to be on the rise and as such his organization is willing to work with the cases, one person at a time.