GAIL Foundation makes donation to Mahaica Children’s Home

Jun 10, 2016 News

With its motto being “Giving Abundantly in Life”, the GAIL Foundation yesterday made a kind donation of playground equipment to the children of the Mahaica Children’s Home, East Coast Demerara.

Executive Director of GAIL Foundation, Gail Seeram, cuts the ceremonial ribbon with Minister of Social Protection Volda Lawrence

The GAIL Foundation is a non-profit charitable organisation dedicated to helping children in need and giving the “gift of play” through building and donating playground equipment. The donations were in form of swings and seesaws for the children.
Head of the Child Care and Protection Agency Ann Greene addressed the simple ceremony, on the responsibility of her agency regarding child welfare. Greene commented that “the Child Care and Protection agency and the Ministry of Social Protection are responsible for the gate keeping in this home and all the other homes, meaning that no child enters an institution without doing an assessment, to know that that is the right thing for the child.”
She further stated that “…institutional care is a life saver for some children, but it is not the best care; a child would be better served in a family. According to her, this can be achieved “…by building our foster care programme and the building of families to take care of children.” She intimated that “the institutions can stay, but the time spent should be short.”
Executive Director of the organisation, U.S.-based Attorney Gail Seeram gave the audience some background information on how the organisation began. She recalled that the idea was born in 2010 after one of her visits to Guyana. She recognized the need for a playground at the Smithfield’s Orphanage in New Amsterdam. On her return to the United States she founded the organisation and later built a playground for the Smithfield children. That represented the organisation’s first contribution.
The organisation then made further significant donations to the Children of Purpose Orphanage in New Amsterdam, the Guyana Relief Council, New Amsterdam Special Needs School and the Bless the Children Home at Industry, East Coast Demerara.
Minister of Social Protection Volda Lawrence in her keynote address expressed gratitude for the donation of the recreational facilities. She stated that “…many times we miss the little things that are soothing to the mind and emotions, the therapeutic remedy for the trauma some of these children would have endured.”
Lawrence directed the gathering to think of the soothing effect which “play” would offer the young children. She said “Let us value it for what it will do for the children who pass through this home; how it will begin that healing process for them, how it can put them in that place where they can begin to think and be alive again.”

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