U.S.- based mandir gives back to needy in Guyana

A seven-year-old differently-abled child from the Hope Children’s Home, East Coast Demerara (ECD), was more than excited when she was presented with a wheelchair on Tuesday by Mochan Persaud of the Vighenshwar Mandir, Brooklyn, USA. The young girl, Shereen Ally, is bedridden, cannot read, write or speak and cannot move her body without assistance by a caregiver. She has been living at the orphanage since she was three years old after her mother had abandoned her at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

Surujdai Gildharrie, a caregiver at the children’s home, told this publication that Ally suffered brain damage at birth. The little girl was constantly visiting the hospital for treatment when her mother “gave up on her” and left her at the hospital.
Ally was subsequently taken to the Hope Children’s Home to be cared for.
However, since her arrival, Ally had to be lifted by caregivers to be moved for whatever purpose. She has now become too heavy for them to lift and was in dire need of a wheelchair.
“We took her to a bone specialist last year in April and she underwent a surgery. She could not move any of her feet and we had to take her to get medical intervention. She has steel plates and screws in her feet and it is only now she is actually moving them in different directions,” said Gildharrie.
Guyana Times International understands that the seven-year-old reacts to noise and is aware of her surroundings as well as the people who take care of her.
Gildharrie is also asking for assistance in obtaining a bed for Ally since she has outgrown the one she currently uses.
She cannot be relocated to the girls’ section due to the fact that there is no bed available for her.
The home receives funding and assistance from the Church of Christ, which is located next door and from overseas-based organisations. Currently, there are 37 children housed there; 24 boys and 13 girls from ages seven to 19.
Meanwhile, Persaud, who is the president of the Vighenshwar Mandir, stated that this is the second time that donations have been made to Guyana.
“We want to do this on a yearly basis and help by making the necessary donations to the homes and orphanages, basically, the needy so that their lives can be different somehow. Everyone feels that they are happy in the states and that now is a time to give back to our country. We want to give back by giving back to the underprivileged and needy,” he said.
Since the start of this year, the mandir has donated over Gy$ 1.7 million to a number of orphanages in Guyana.
Some of these are the Dharm Shala, the Prabhu Sharan Orphanage, the Ptolemy Reid Rehabilitation Centre and the Bless the Children Home and the Hope of Children’s Home.