“A concert for children by children” is the idea behind the National Communication Network (NCN) Radio’s Needy Children’s Fund concert hosted at the National Cultural Centre last Wednesday.
Speaking about the concert, CEO of NCN, Mohamed Sattaur, credited the idea which he described as a “novel” one to the Head of Government Information Agency (GINA), Neaz Subhan.
In remarks off-stage, Sattaur said that the Radio’s Needy Children’s Fund from which the idea of the concert was born was founded by Mrs. Olga Lopes-Seales in 1954, who was at the time a broadcaster at the Guyana Broadcasting Cooperation.
One day she looked out a window, he said, and saw children playing in the street and came up with the idea to  help a few children in need at Christmas time. She sought the permission to use the Radio Station for appealing to the public for assistance. The response from the public was overwhelming; she received clothing, shoes, toys and cash, and the Radio’s Needy Children’s Fund was born.  The venture has since grown from an annual party for some 20 children to some 6,500 countrywide, he said.
Sattaur said a special party is also hosted for children of the Genito-Urinary Medicine (GUM) clinic. The fund has a scholarship programme for children who do well at the National Grade Six exams, but cannot afford to go to school. The beneficiaries of the programme will triple this year, moving from 11 in its first year to 33. He praised the programme, saying that the idea behind it is that children have the ability, citing the example of one child whose grades went up from the 20’s, then to the 50’s and is steadily going up.
He spoke about other offshoots of the programme, including a school feeding programme, and a literacy programme, collaboration with the Ministry of Education, and care giving packages.
The concert featured performances from the North Ruimveldt Choir, St. Joseph High, National School of Dance, David Rose Special School, The Business School, and Monar Education Institute as well as special guest performances by “Dublin”, “Eva Blazing” and winner of Star Guyana 2009 and singer of official CARIFESTA  theme song, Lisa Punch.

After Aunty Olga, as she was fondly called, migrated in 1966, Mrs. Bernice Mansell, who was then the Secretary/ Treasurer, took over and continued the work in various parts of the country. After serving the needs of children for over three decades, she resigned in 1998, and the Radio’s Needy Children’s Fund Committee has continued to serve the needy children in all the Regions through the year.