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Young woman with facial deformity feels mistreated by charitable organization
– organization refutes claims, says family was dishonest
Twenty year-old Shivanie Naryan continues to live with a congenital facial deformity and she is of the view that she is being treated unfairly by the Three Rivers Kids Foundation which funded her first surgery in India.
The foundation is a charitable one, dedicated to helping sick children in Guyana whose parents are too poor to afford them medical care. The foundation affords children the opportunity to go overseas for much needed medical attention.
Naryan, who resides at Grove, East Bank Demerara, was told by doctors that she would need to undergo three steps of surgery to fix her abnormality.
In February 2014, Naryan recalled that the Three Rivers Foundation flew her to India for her first operation, which was a success.
The organization promised to take her back for the remaining surgeries.
They eventually gave her the go ahead to travel back to India in September that same year.
However, she told Kaieteur News that she was given a shock when she arrived in India again to undergo the second surgery. The young woman recalled that she went thousands of miles away only to be told by a doctor that the Three Rivers Kids Foundation did not hand over fees for her operation.
Naryan and her mother Pamela Tulshi claimed that they were never informed about this by the organization’s President, Ms Jeanette Singh or its local manager Lita Gayadin.
However Singh refuted these claims while speaking to this newspaper.
Singh also made it clear that the foundation went “out of the way” to fund Naryan’s operation.
The President said that Naryan’s family has been completely dishonest with the foundation. In explaining this, she pointed out that they were not truthful with their declarations. Singh stated that the family has never seen it fit to extend an apology to the organization for the false declarations.
Shivanie Naryan, as these photos bear out, still requires corrective surgeries
President of the Three Rivers Foundation, Jeanette Singh, Minister of Public Health George Norton and Manager of the organization’s local office Lita Gayadin at a meeting last month
According to Singh, Naryan’s mother lied and portrayed herself to be a very poor woman, when she was not. Singh pointed out that the woman was able to raise all monies to fund her trip to India.
But Naryan has maintained that her family could not have funded her surgeries and sought assistance from the organization. Her mother explained, “I had a little money yes… but I didn’t had enough. If I make money for myself I am questioning why did they take my daughter to India, put her to see the doctor only to be told two days before the operation that the board had not pass the cash.”
“My daughter getting more and more sick, that’s why I decided to make contact with Kaieteur News. I can’t really understand what these people are doing… If they knew that I was making money why did they take Shivanie to India? Why didn’t they tell me that from Guyana? And I would not have had to spend that $1.4M for accommodation and airfare.”
The family too is refuting claims of dishonesty being made by the organization and told this publication that they would have been ashamed to make their situation public if that was the case.
Despite the accusations, the organization is still looking to increase the amount of support being offered to Guyanese children. Just last month, Singh along with Gayadin met with Minster of Public Health, George Norton to discuss ways in which the organization can collaborate with the Ministry. Approximately 150 children with medical conditions such as brain tumors and congenital heart conditions have been assisted by the organization. The Three Rivers Foundation will be sending four Guyanese children to India next month for much needed heart surgery.
In the meantime, Tulshi is requesting assistance from the public with funding her daughter’s remaining surgeries. Persons desirous of making contribution can contact her on (592) 266-3191 or 666-9972.
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