The new Lusignan-Good Hope Learning Centre

At new centre…
Shivdat couple targets Lusignan/Good Hope for poverty eradication

FIGHTING poverty through education is exactly what the newly opened Lusignan/Good Hope Learning Centre, on East Coast of Demerara, is seeking to do.

Located at Lot 184 Lusignan Grassfield, the Lusignan-Good Hope Learning Center was officially commissioned last Saturday, in the quest to give hope to children of the communities in building a better tomorrow.

It is the first local project undertaken by Restoring Hope International Inc. (RHI), a New Jersey, United States (U.S.) registered non-profit organisation founded in 2008 for the purpose.

Its goal is to break the cycle of despair and promote hope and optimism to impoverished families in poor parts of Guyana.

The RHI mission is to put literacy in the forefront and facilitate the development of knowledge; place emphasis on the value of education by implementing innovative programmes to develop children’s cognitive abilities and teach children the necessary skills to think independently, be inquisitive and creative and help them develop as individuals who respect themselves and care about others.

The services to be provided include a library, computer room, literary and arts and craft programmes, after school help, remedial and adult education classes, as well as counselling and workshops.

Among the other RHI initiatives were the ‘Adopt a Family’ project; ongoing work with impoverished families in the Good Hope and Grassfield areas in Lusignan and scholarships for school dropouts.

These little ones assist in cutting the ceremonial ribbon to officially open the centre, while officials look on.

Speaking at the Saturday opening, RHI Co-Founder, Guyanese-born Ms. Sandra Shivdat, who, together with her husband, Mr. Freddie Shivdat, conceptualised the idea, said the cost so far is US$65,000.

The woman, who has been living in New Jersey for some 26 years, said they will be engaged in fund-raising to create a playground, fence the property and finish a kitchen, while doing maintenance.

She thanked Montrose Primary School, Lusignan Reunion Organisation and other contributors for helping to achieve the success.

Shivdat acknowledged the significant contribution of Food for the Poor (Guyana), which helped to furnish and equip the place, including providing computers.

She explained that, to raise funds from the public in the U.S., RHI was established but reiterated that the focus is in Guyana.

“This is our model; we will duplicate it across Guyana in more vulnerable communities. We believe in literacy first and foremost,” she stated.

Shivdat also announced that an administrator and two part-time teachers have been recruited for the centre operations but a group of volunteers will be assisting with the management.

APPROACHED
She said other charitable groups, in the U.S, will be approached for assistance.

Shivdat said the children will be taught that they can dream of a better life and encouraged to fight for a future in which they can grow up and make others proud of them.

Children from the Irene Madray Centre

Vice-Consul in the U.S. Embassy here, Mr. Phillip Assis offered his congratulation and best wishes on behalf of the entire American nation.

He said: “In the U.S., education has been valued from the very beginning of our republic and we believe, very heartily, that it has contributed to our own growth, both economic and personal, in every way.

“And, obviously, that is a very clear value in Guyana, as well and I am very pleased to be here today to share that with you and that we share this value.”

Executive Director of Food For the Poor, Mr. Leon Davis lauded the Shivdats for giving back something to their homeland, primarily the Lusignan and Good Hope communities from where they hail.

He pointed out that his organisation is not confined to dealing with the distribution of foodstuff, clothing and other items but is more than that.

“Our business is about the poor, providing you are poor and you need help, regardless of religion, race, political beliefs and so on, we will continue to do what we are doing,” Davis said.

He said, when the Shivdats made the approach to him, he was moved to see there are still Guyanese who live abroad and have faith in this country.

Davis said he is confident RHI will help develop children to be leaders of tomorrow, with education being the key to success.

“The answer to poverty is empowering people and giving them a start and we have been doing this quite successfully. I would want to feel that, over a number of years, it is getting bigger.”

He said FFP is now concentrating on education and medical care and maintained that, with their housing scheme, developing the lives of the very poor is a great thing.
About the input at Lusignan, he assured: “This is not the end of our giving to this community.”

Guest Speaker and Board Member of RHI, Member of Parliament (MP), Mr. Anil Nandlall declared it is a privilege for him to be associated with the venture.”

He praised the Shivdats for their commitment to it, noting that, while they have their own family and bearing in mind the downturn in the U.S., in spite of such challenges, they have made a monumental sacrifice.

The Shivdats have made the building possible, not via telephone and the instrumentality of a workforce, but being present on a regular basis, the lawyer said, hoping that more Guyanese overseas can emulate the couple.

RAMPANT
Nandlall attested that the communities of Lusignan and Good Hope are where poverty is rampant and the Shivdats undertook this philanthropic work to elevate people after seeing what obtains in the streets of the two villages where so many problems afflict the villagers.

He said he agrees with the concept because Guyanese, in spite of race, all have a common history.

“We came to this country in very similar circumstances with basically nothing and whatever we have achieved in this land has been made possible largely by our own efforts,” Nandlall added, agreeing that the vehicle which aids elevation is education.

“Education is the key to success and knowledge is power,” he admitted, saying it can liberate any people and any society from the cycle of poverty.

He posited that poverty is cyclical and goes round and round unless ways can be found to extricate oneself from it.

Nandlall said he is confident the learning facility will afford the young people of Good Hope and Lusignan the opportunity to exit the cycle of poverty that has kept millions in bondage worldwide.

Others present at the function included Alliance for Change (AFC) MP, other attorney-at-law Mr. Khemraj Ramjattan who joined in commending the grand efforts of RHI and its partners.

“You have nurtured the ground for the blossoming of a thousand flowers within this area. I want you to continue that nurturing and fertilising. It will do our country a wonderful thing,” he accepted.