It was the great humanitarian Mother Theresa, who famously said: “Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love”, and it is on that premise that the Prabhu Sharan Orphanage was founded. The idea of doing small things to improve the lives of those in gloom, particularly children, has always been at the fore of Pandit Prem Gangadin and when he moved to Canada, the Orphanage materialised.
The doors of the Prabhu Sharan Orphanage were opened on August 21, 2005 in the compound of the Vedic Mandir, Prabhu Sharan Drive, North Scheme, Cornelia Ida, West Coast Demerara. One of the main objectives of the home is to ensure the children in its care reach their optimum potential through a comprehensive education and social curriculum.
“We are a home ideal for unprivileged children. This home provides love, care, compassion, respect and a safe environment. The children learn to live in love, empathy to help each other also help to build self-confidence and self-esteem. When our children step out into the outside world as an adult, they possess the relevant knowledge, skills, attitudes and divine values to live in dignity a balanced life for the best of both the material and spiritual world, being worthy citizens with a sense of social responsibility. So they can make the world a better place,” Administrator Indira Dowlat said.
Currently, the home has 30 children in its care and those children are mostly from abusive households. The children are placed in the home’s care after the Child Care and Protection Agency (CC&PA) remove them from the care of their abusive parents or guardians.
Dowlat said the children were a joy to care for, but explained that there was a dark side because of the struggles they would have gone through. She notes that when the children come into their care they would, more than often, lash out and have anger issues, which they view as a defence mechanism. The home would work closely with those children in order to bring their behaviour to some sort of normalcy.
The home provides counselling to the children, but as of late there has been a challenge in getting a counsellor to meet with the children.
“One of the major challenges is the lack of a social worker. Because we have so many children from all backgrounds and from all situations there are a lot of challenges dealing with them. We try our best; in the past we had a social worker from the Agency (CC&PA) coming to meet with the children, but now that don’t happen and we really need that especially here,” Dowlat noted.
Apart from tackling the emotional issues of the children, the home also ensures that they are exposed to a solid education. While the younger children would attend public schools, the older children attend one of the most prestigious private schools – the Saraswati Vidya Niketan on scholarships. So far they would have seen past children excelling at their Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations, gaining as many as 15 passes.
The home, like most, runs on public donations. Dowlat said that there was usually one annual fundraiser by the Prabhu Sharan Organisation in Canada to supplement donations.
Dowlat has been at the helm of the Prabhu Sharan Orphanage for over eight years, and issued a call for more volunteers like herself. She says service to those in need has always been a big part of her life and sees her volunteer work with the home as just one part of giving back.
“Personally, it is a feeling of satisfaction knowing I can make a difference without any comparison of ethnicity, culture, religion and political ties. To do so with no strings attached makes me feel great and that feeling is beyond comparison.”
For now the Prabhu Sharan Orphanage continues to work with the children in its care to get the best possible result from each one of them. The interest and effort are being placed in them because the mission of the home is to ensure every child gets the tools to position themselves to be the best they can be. (Sunday Times Magazine)
