First Lady’s Foundation spreads Christmas cheer

Christmas is a time for giving and spreading joy, and first lady Deolatchmee Ramotar is well into the festive spirit of bringing happiness to hundreds of children countrywide.
Recognizing the expectations at this time of the year, and in keeping with its main objective of promoting a healthy and positive family by supporting any individual within a family, the First Lady’s Foundation, together with His Excellency President Donald Ramotar, have organised children’s Christmas parties in all three counties of Guyana.
Mrs Ramotar and other members of the foundation were joined by President Ramotar when they entertained more than 400 children from Berbice at the Albion Community Centre.
The group also treated more than 300 children from across the Essequibo Coast at the Anna Regina Multilateral School. The first lady indicated at the event that she was “very heartened to see the children having a lovely time at the party” and she called on all Guyanese to work together for the benefit of our future generations.
On December 19, more than 300 children from villages across the East Bank, East Coast and Georgetown converged on the lawns of State House where they were treated generously with goody bags, gifts, ice cream, and face painting. It was a cheerful time for both the President and First Lady to share their love with the children.
Mrs Ramotar and members of the foundation are travelling countrywide to spread the Christmas spirit to the less fortunate children. In addition, she would be making visits to children and senior citizens’ homes, hospitals and other organised gatherings to spread the joys of the season.

“I’m having such a wonderful time. Giving your time to help out or share with others in need is always a humbling experience,” she divulged.
Apart from sharing goodwill at this time of the year, the First Lady’s Foundation is involved in a number of other projects that support its goal of promoting the positive family. It is registered under the Friendly Societies Act of Guyana with oversight being provided by an eight- member committee headed by the First Lady Mrs Ramotar.
Another initiative is the Garden for the Children of Guyana Initiative, launched at the State House earlier this year. This initiative provides an opportunity for school children to get involved in not only traditional methods of cultivation, but also hydroponics and raised-bed gardening. The First Lady’s Foundation would be travelling to various schools and communities across the country to promote this project among school children as well as adults.
The foundation would also be launching a reading and literacy programme where book donations would be done to existing libraries and additional community libraries would be established to encourage reading as a form of promoting positive family values. Furthermore, another area where the foundation intends to get involved in is the provision of assistance in caring for street children.
Mrs Ramotar encourages all Guyanese to join in supporting these programmes aimed at promoting positive family values, which are crucial for the development of the social fabric of our country.