The DDL Foundation – improving the lives of promising, less fortunate youths

Feb 02, 2014 News

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By Kiana Wilburg
The remarkable aptitude of some students is unfortunately hindered by the financial constraints faced by their parents.  In Guyana, there is one company that is committed to making a difference in this regard. It is the beverage and rum-producing giant—Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL).
The DDL Foundation was founded in July 2010. It is a human development assistance organization dedicated to assisting deserving students in their education in the post-primary phase. The organization focuses on promoting the advancement of educating secondary students by assisting with the main costs associated with attending school.
This includes books, uniforms, transportation and meals.

The Foundation is managed by a Board of Directors under the Chairmanship of Mr. Rudolph Collins. The other Directors of the Foundation are; Mr. Chandradat Chintamani, Mr. Harry Parmessar, Mrs. Sharda Veeren-Chand, Mrs. Sylvia Conway, and Mrs. Evelyn Hamilton.
Mrs. Sharon Sue-Hang Baksh is the Secretary; Mr. Vas Singh is the Treasurer and Ms. Alison Thorne has been appointed as its legal advisor.
The board makes the decision as to how to enhance the programme continuously.
Demerara Distillers Ltd made the first donation to the Foundation of $1,000,000 to start the funds.
In addition to this, the Chairman of the Board, Mr. Collins, noted that DDL is a Company which has continually embraced its corporate responsibility over the years by extending its arm to various charitable organizations and sporting groups. He noted that “as an extension of that responsibility, DDL saw it fit to establish a more durable, sustainable and substantial contribution to the nation’s social development through the education of its future leaders, hence the formation of the DDL Foundation.
Not only does the Foundation provide financial assistance to parents for their children, but also a mentorship programme which has received much praise.
The Foundation, which comprises mainly volunteers from the DDL staff body, is also responsible for the Mentorship programme. This is where each child is linked to a Mentor who will monitor the performance of the child and provide the necessary moral support during the period of their arrangement with the Foundation.
The DDL Foundation has 22 students currently on the programme attending either Queen’s College or The Bishops’ High School.
The Mentorship programme has thus far proven to be extremely helpful and successful in achieving its objectives.
Inderjeet Persaud, father of Andrew Persaud, a Second Form Student at Queens College, said that he is very grateful for the project.
“I strongly feel that without the scholarship some of the students would not have been able to attend the institution they were given because of financial constraints.  The allocation of Mentors to these students helped to monitor their performance at school.”
He added, “I also feel that the programme serves as a great motivation to our students to be branded as a scholarship student of DDL. Also the meetings that DDL would have held with the parents and students helped to ensure that the foundation’s money is not wasted. Generally, I feel it is a good gesture, as many of these parents see it as a humanitarian effort… and finally, I feel it is timely.”
His wife said, “The Foundation is very beneficial to the children and the poor.  Without the help of the Foundation, Andrew would not have been able to attend Queen’s College.  We are thankful for the help we are getting from the DDL Foundation.”
One female single-parent said, “I feel the Foundation programme is a very good initiative, particularly for me and my child, we are benefiting greatly from the support.  It is not easy being a single-parent and having to cover all costs for sending a child to school and so the Foundation is there to cover all these costs, from school uniform to books, transportation and so on, for every school year.  But the mentorship is a wonderful partnership between parent and mentor.”
She contuinued, “The Mentors provide that extra support to the child in the absence of the parent. For example, if the parent cannot attend the school’s PTA meeting, the Mentors are always there to attend on behalf of the parent.  The mentors also assist the children with their schoolwork and provide guidance and/or advice as it relates to school or other social issues, as the mentors also meet often with the children and are allowed to take them out to appropriate social events.  The scholarship programme also provides social activity where the children, parents, mentors and the DDL scholarship representatives are able to meet and get to know each other better. So besides the academics there is also a social aspect.”
Another single-parent, Beradine Simeon, mother of Timal Phillips, a second form student of Queen’s College said, “I am very grateful for the contribution of the Foundation for the timely aid in the provision of a mentor and financial assistance.  I am very thankful for the financial assistance I received for my son to be able to travel from Linden to Georgetown daily, since without such level of assistance, it would have been impossible for him to attend such a prestigious school in the city.  Their assistance has made a dream possible for both me and my son.”
With the testimonies of the aforementioned parents, Mr. Collins expressed that he is always overwhelmed with joy for the money provided for the children by the company which contributes to an invaluable end result.
Moreover, Mr. Collins expressed that DDL will continue to remain dedicated towards expanding the programme and helping to make a positive difference in the lives of the country’s future leaders. This is an initiative he hopes other companies can start as well.

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