| BATH SETTLEMENT, WEST COAST BERBICE – The Aditya Kids Trust Foundation has reported a successful first year in operation.Ravie Dave SainAt present, the group is working towards helping 12-year-old Ravie Dave Sain, of Bath Settlement, on the West Coast of Berbice.The child has been diagnosed with nasopharyngeal fibroma on the floor of his right nostril.According to a medical document, the child suffers from trauma to the right eye and nasal bone.The MRI findings show that there is a large mixed density area at the region of the base of the skull involving sphenoid among other things.This results in breathing problems, which he has been experiencing for more than one year. He is scheduled to leave for Trinidad, where a surgical procedure is to be performed next month.Secretary/Treasurer of the group, Zulfikar Alli, explained that the Aditya Kids Trust Foundation, which is based at Bath Settlement, West Coast Berbice, was established in December of 2007.It came into being after the death of seven-year-old Aditya Ramdhan, of Bath Settlement, in September 2007. He was sponsored to undergo cardiac surgery in India, but died after the procedure.The foundation was conceptualised by Canadian-born Lorraine Kissoon and formed by Canadian businessmen.Its motto is ‘Investing in our future by helping kids’.The objectives are to provide assistance mainly to less fortunate children. This aid is delivered in the form of medical attention, social assistance, educational grants, and the development of sports. Though children are the organisation’s key focus, persons of all ages have benefited.The organization, from time to time, hosts fund-raising events to ensure its growth and survival and to continue its charity mission. It also receives donations mainly from persons and business entities in Canada.Explaining some of its endeavours to date, Mr. Alli said that, on April 18 last, the Foundation handed over a $100,000 cheque to nine-year-old Farziena Ali of Betsy Ground in East Canje. This was to assist in offsetting the cost of cardiac surgery, which was performed in India. Another project on stream is the setting up of a resource centre at Bath Settlement. So far, a number of computers and books were sent to Guyana from persons in Canada for the venture to be realized. The facility would consist of a library, a gymnasium,Jerseys NFL China, a computer room, and a play area. This should be completed at an estimated cost of $1.5M. Other acts of charity include the financial assistance to several single-parent families and elderly persons on the West Coast of Berbice.Fourteen-year-old Andrew Dennis, of West Coast Berbice, was sponsored to play cricket for Clark Road Cricket Club in Trinidad and Tobago, where he spent four months.The Aditya Kids Trust Foundation also sponsored the first ever 20/20 Under-19 cricket tournament on the West Coast of Berbice in April this year, and some $400,000 were distributed in prizes.Three students from the western side of the Berbice River, who were successful at the recent National Grade Six Examination, were also honoured and given scholarships. They are Durgaswarie Singh and Darshanie Poonie of Bath Settlement, and Jewel Thom of Number Five Village, West Coast Berbice.The students received gold jewellery from Ashook Jewellery of Ontario, Canada, and an MP4 player each, compliments of El Toro Import/Export of Guyana and Apollo Health and Beauty Care of Ontario, Canada.Durgaswarie is being sponsored by Mrs. Lorraine Kissoon of Ontario, and Darshanie is being sponsored by Nasir Ghany of Ontario, to attend secondary school, “The sponsorship includes all school-related expenses for a period of one year. Continuation of sponsorship will depend on performance and commitment of the sponsored child,” Alli said.On September 19, the Foundation donated a wheelchair to 67-year-old Pulkumari Harilall, of Bath Settlement. |
