There are quite a few things children need in order to properly develop into adults and among those things are a roof over their heads, food and, most importantly, love. However, not all children are fortunate to have those necessities and many find themselves in unsavoury situations but the Joshua House Children Centre has been providing a safe space for those children to develop for a number of years.
The mission of the home is to rescue children who find themselves in unfortunate circumstances; these include children whose parents are unable to look after them, street children, abused children, and orphans. Moral and religious principles form the foundation for overall development; therefore, these principles are taught to the children in the care of the House.
The Joshua House Children Centre was established in 1977 by Barbara Burrows, daughter of a well-known Guyanese artist, ER Burrows. After residing in England for many years, she returned to Guyana as a missionary in 1970.During the course of their work, members of her group sought to have a place for their children to stay when they had to be out in the field. Money was accumulated and the present building at Thomas Street, Georgetown was purchased.
As missionaries visited various parts of the country, they rescued children whom they met in unfortunate conditions. Over a period after all of the missionary children had left, the residence was converted into a home for needy children in 1977. The Children’s Home was then taken care of by the church. However, as the number of children grew, the Unification Church could no longer support it financially.
The period of 1978-1985 saw a metamorphosis of the building and surroundings from a three-storied family house in the midst of dense vegetation into a two-flat structure on a double lot.
In 1983, the International Relief Friendship Foundation (IRFF) of New York adopted Joshua House after doing some filming and renovation work. The present building was realised in 1986 mainly through a grant by the IRFF and generous public assistance.
According to the House’s Facebook page, during the years, many youngsters came in and out of its doors; at one time, the Centre housed over 60 children and eight adults. Children in need came from as far as Linden, West Berbice, and Matthews Ridge.
The children in the home’s care are exposed to a number of activities as well as schooling. There are volunteers who would visit from time to time to engage the children in art and craft, sports and other activities. Additionally, the children are all part of the public education system with some of them excelling despite the adversities they face.
During the holiday season, the children are quite often treated to meals, trips, and toys from various organisations as well as private persons. The Home is mainly run off donations from the public and organisations. (Sunday Times Magazine)
