With a very strong love for their homeland, especially their village, Moruca-born sisters Stephanie Wall and Regina Rodrigues are focused on bringing joy to the hearts of Guyanese children, and they have fun doing it.
Regina and Stephanie, who migrated to Canada many years ago, are both retired. Their mission now is to dedicate their time to giving back to their Moruca community. They raise funds throughout the year, contributed by family and friends, and use this to buy toys for the children to make life a little more enjoyable for the community that once nurtured them.
The sisters ship half a dozen barrels loaded with toys for children in Moruca. They are also committed to raising funds and other resources to restore the church building at Santa Rosa. Additionally, they were successful in gathering community members to come together to build a house for an elderly Moruca resident.
In an interview with Guyana Times Sunday Magazine, Regina stated that her mother, the late Martina Rodrigues, started a similar initiative but on a smaller scale. Her mother lived in Canada and would pack a barrel every year and ship it to Santa Rosa, Moruca, for distribution to her family and friends. Regina said her mother never forgot from where she came, and always tried to give something back. Observing this, Regina and her sister emulated their mother’s attitude and continued her charity work. Their mother passed away in 1992.
“After we retired from our jobs, my sister Stephanie and I decided to have a toy drive for the children of Moruca. We started to prepare for our first drive in 2010. Stephanie started by sending out an e-mail to family and friends in Toronto, specifically those with children, asking for clothing and toys. The response was phenomenal. We packed and posted our first two barrels. From that we grew, and it is now our annual toy drive for the children of Moruca. Stephanie, our brother Eugene and I went to Moruca in 2011. We distributed to every child a toy, an item of clothing and candy. It was a great experience,” she recalled.
Regina noted that the community of Moruca is not a “prosperous one, and people depend on their farms where they plant cassava and vegetables; fish and rear chickens.” She mentioned during a visit to Moruca that she and her sister saw a great need to provide something to bring joy to the children of the community. Regina recollected that the children would get very excited over the little toy cars and dolls she and her sister handed out. From this the idea of a toy drive was born.
This year, five barrels were shipped for distribution in Moruca. Regina and Stephanie, once again, were there for the distribution with the help of the women from the community as willing volunteers. This time the sisters included school supplies (pens, pencils, note books, children’s books, and novels- just to name a few) in each package given out to the children. In March 2013, they shipped sports equipment, cricket balls, tennis balls, soccer balls and sports shirts and jerseys, for the students in secondary school.
In March Stephanie’s two adult children, Lisa and Chris and also Lisa’s husband, made the trip to Moruca to assist with the distribution. Regina noted that Lisa and Gary have since sent three barrels to be divided between the secondary and primary schools. A key person in Moruca who will help with this particular distribution is Whanita Phillips who has worked with the PTA and continues to work closely with the schools’ administration. Regina thanked her relatives in Guyana who do the work of clearing the many barrels and shipping them to Moruca.
“Stephanie and I, as well as our brother and older sisters, remember our excitement when boxes (we don’t know from where) would arrive in Moruca and we would receive a dress or a toy that we would cherish. This has not changed much in that we still see joy in the faces of the children when they are handed a little car or a stuffed toy, or how they would cherish a small candy that was given to them. The benefits of giving back as a family are huge, and we are so heartened that the younger generation in our family has felt the need to do this on their own and we hope that they will continue. Even the little ones, like Stephanie’s grandchildren, have little bags of stuff for the children of Moruca,” she pointed out.
Regina and Stephanie has also collaborated with the Guyana Foundation headed by Supriya Singh Bodden. The sisters donated school and other supplies to the children of Pigeon Island on the East Coast. They also shipped a barrel to the foundation in September for distribution by the Guyana Foundation.
“We wish we could do more but can only continue to do what we can as this is a family venture and we are not registered as a charitable organization. However, we do wish to say thanks to our relatives and friends in Canada and the U.S. who have donated clothing and some funds to help us with the shipping expenses. We appreciate that very much,” Regina said appreciatively.
For more information on this family initiative, visit jrodmorucanewsletter.weebly.com (Guyana Times Sunday Magazine)
