Dear Editor,
I would firstly like to give thanks to the newspapers that took the time out to publish last month’s topic of interest and to our many readers.
I hereby request that we not only note the longstanding suffering of our homeless Guyanese and even those that are living under a roof but are yet underprivileged but, that we also make a special effort to make a conscious decision to contribute our grain of sand towards a positive change. Like our Guyanese saying goes, “One, one duty build dam.” And I dare to tell you that your effort will not go in vain.
Many might say that they hardly have enough for themselves much less to be giving from the little they have. However, I wish to share my personal experience with you; what I’ve learnt from my loving and caring parents is to distinguish between my needs and my wants.
Have you ever seen your clothes going down the road on its new owner’s back knowing that you didn’t give it away? Well as a child I’ve experienced that several times. Sure, it was upsetting that my parents would give away my clothes or shoes to someone in need. But what I soon realized is that I would seldom times miss my clothes that I had grown out of which brought me to the next thought- I probably didn’t even need it.
However, as I grew older, I learnt to appreciate this effort of my parents to give to the needy. My mom placed a box in the veranda of her workplace where we now willingly put our unused clothes that are still usable. And since the box is just lying there in the shade of the veranda in the waiting area other community members also can anonymously place their donation into the box while those in need can freely take as needed. I say all this to highlight the simple fact that we can help build each other without giving up our nearest and dearest. Have you ever gotten a second-hand top that felt new to you? Assuming that the answer is yes, I would also like to encourage us to hold to God’s greatness and His wisdom which says:
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6
Special thanks to all the elders and my parents even the youngsters that helped to instill good morals and values in my life.
We can start by taking simple steps such as:
Starting a clothing donation box with clothes that we would have been thrown away otherwise.
Giving our extra food to those in need. Instead of wasting it simply place the extras in containers and give it to a random vagrant.
We would also like to suggest starting community gardens from kitchen scraps such as seeds to produce seedlings and practice composting with other kitchen scraps.
Community gardens are beneficial in several ways:
As the activity suggests, a union is formed.
Economically produced foods will be provided for the community garden members to share among themselves and to reach out to others and hopefully creating a new trend of togetherness even in this time of COVID-19 where several homes are faced with decreased incomes due to breadwinners losing their jobs.
Without further ado we ask you dear reader to feel free to share your thoughts on how we can effectively help others to build a safer and stronger future. Contact us at Christofel29@yahoo.com.
Yours faithfully
Dr. Abigail Stewart
