Overseas based volunteer donates to David Rose School

Jan 31, 2017 News

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…importance of volunteerism is amplified

Aimed at helping to advance the work of the teachers at the David Rose School for the

Handicapped, a donation valued at some US$1,400 was recently handed over to the school.
The money to procure the donation, which included, among other things, paint, printer, teaching aids and several educational toys, was raised by Alicia Asha Killikelly.
The United States-based Killikelly, just last week, concluded a five-week volunteer stint here in Guyana through Youth Challenge Guyana (YCG). Since her arrival she was volunteering at a private organisation called ProCare Diagnostic and Therapeutic Services. The organisation is one that provides speech, occupational and physical therapy.
Killikelly, a Guyanese by birth, migrated to the United States at the age of 12. During a recent interview, she disclosed that volunteerism forms a part of her passion to advance speech pathology.
The 20-year-old disclosed that she is currently studying Speech and Hearing Science at the Buffalo University with the hope of one day becoming a Speech Language Pathologist.
But it was priorto her trip here that she decided to raise funds the ‘Go Fund Me’ way, to help advance speech pathology at a Special Education Needs School here in Guyana.
The school she opted to support was the David Rose School.
Ahead of procuring the items, Killikelly said that she was able to visit the school and assess the needs there. But according to her, although she’d raised the funds to cater to speech and communication needs at the school, her assessment revealed that there were even more needs.
“When I went into the Auxiliary Unit there was a child lying on a mattress with a gaping hole in it…There was another child lying on the floor but that was because she is autistic and sometimes throws herself down but I thought at least she should be on a play mat,” Killikelly noted.
According to the young lady, who does suppress her interest in those who are differently able, donating to the school was in fact an invaluable experience.

“I simply cannot come up with one word to describe the feeling associated with this deed. I am more than appreciative of those overseas who donated to the fundraiser to make this possible,” said Killikelly.
She also lauded Mr. Gordon Roberts, the Director of the Autism Unit of the David Rose School, who she said, “was extremely caring and 100 percent involved in the entire process of identifying what the department needed, and in running around town to purchase them with me.”
“The children are eager to begin playing and learning with these items. A parent has already expressed her appreciation to me personally. This has by far been one of the most enriching, gratifying and humbling experiences of my life,” Killikelly asserted.
Killikelly said, “I’d also like to encourage others, especially the youths residing overseas and in Guyana, to go out and volunteer in whichever field they might be interested in. One can never learn too much or be over educated on a subject. I hope that society can become more empathetic to those who are differently able.”
It is Killikelly’s hope too that Government can lead the way by ensuring that teachers are properly trained to educate and nurture students with special needs. “I also suggest educating citizens on different disorders so that they are aware and knowledgeable about exactly how and why a person is differently able,” said Killikelly.
For instance, “I do believe that a simple TV advertisement, covering autism could be effective. I would like persons to know that speech therapy services are available to them, whether they need assistance with communication, voice, swallowing or feeding, at ProCare Diagnostic and Therapeutic Services.”
“Volunteering at ProCare has been greatly fulfilling. The Director there – Speech Therapist Candace Wickham – has a strong team and awesome teachers catering to the wonderful Special Needs children enrolled in their school setting,” Killikelly added.
Addressing the importance of volunteerism, YCG’s Executive Director, Dmitri Nicholson, said that YCG has long been making known to persons in the Diaspora that there is opportunity for them and their loved ones to give back meaningfully to their country through volunteerism. In fact he amplified that YCG is open to receiving volunteers all year round.
While Killikelly’s stay lasted five weeks, Nicholson said that some individuals have volunteered eight months and even one year of their time to the volunteer programme.
Nicholson said that YCG has also started another initiative that has been allowing Guyanese to travel and share their experience overseas. “We have three persons who have left to participate in a human rights programme in Romania,” said Nicholson as he revealed that those individuals will spend six months undergoing and participating in cultural exchange and human rights related activities.
According to Nicholson, “we are very excited that we are able to offer these opportunities, to not only people from overseas coming to Guyana, but people from Guyana also having the opportunity to go and learn and gain opportunities from overseas.”

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