Matelot, located on the North coast of Trinidad is one of the most isolated villages in Trinidad and Tobago and perhaps, the most impoverished. Our current project started in September 2018. The current project will be completed in May 2019 for which we have raised $ 96,147 (100% of the budget).
Matelot, located on the North coast of Trinidad is one of the most isolated villages in Trinidad and Tobago and perhaps, the most impoverished. It was once prosperous when it shipped produce from its estates to Port-of-Spain on the coastal steamer service. Agriculture and fishing were traditional ways of life. The village has declined over the last hundred years. Yet the people remain grounded in centuries-old values of perseverance, pride and faith. Even when isolated by landslides and communications failures, they are determined to make a good life in difficult circumstances. They do not seek the privileges and facilities of urban good fortune. What they need is the basic facilities that we often take for granted especially regarding the schooling of children. When children go off to school, they need proper clothing. There is no hope of progress without teaching material, books and good nutrition.
We started our Matelot Project for needy children in September 2017. In August 2018 teachers and parents reported a difference in the performance of the children. Children who normally would not have advanced to the next grade performed better than expected in completing class assignments. It is not just about children, but also families. Parents expressed a strong sense of hope and renewed determination to encourage their children. That is Nation-building. We want to support them. While that requires more than school books and meals, Charity “first of all, requires adequate responses to immediate needs and specific situations where they exist.”
Our current project started in September 2018. The current project will be completed in May 2019 for which we have raised $ 96,147 (100% of the budget).
The Budget for the next year, beginning June 2019, is $ 85,000 for the basic programme plus the cost of the expanded scope of the project. This will involve partnerships to facilitate:
- Development workshops
- Specialised training of teachers to recognise early-childhood problems that create learning difficulties
When adequate assessments of issues are completed, programmes will be created to include Psychological counselling and Spiritual development.
