THE plight of eight children living in abject poverty was highlighted last Saturday when President of the New Jersey Arya Samaj Mandir, Inc. Humanitarian Mission (NJASHM) Pandit Suresh Sugrim paid a visit to their Annandale, East Coast Demerara home. Pandit Sugrim told the Guyana Chronicle that he was contacted by a neighbour who asked if he could assist the family, since the mother is an alcoholic but does not want to give up the children.
He said when he saw where the children were being housed, he was terribly saddened at their plight, since the place is not suitable for bringing up children.
“These children are living in a deplorable condition,” he said. “Some of them were without clothing, and the place reeked of stale urine. And the entire wooden house was filthy.”
Pandit Sugrim said right away he went and purchased the family some groceries, in the hope that the items provided will be used for the intended purpose of feeding the children.
Among the items were such basics as potatoes, rice, flour, powdered milk and split peas, with a few pieces of clothing thrown in for good measure.
The children, aged one to 13, are not just shabbily dressed, but live off of handouts and the meagre salary their mother gets as a domestic help.
Their mom, Jeetwantie Singh, 42, told the Guyana Chronicle that since her husband died some years ago, she has struck up a common-law relationship with another man, who unfortunately went to sea and has never looked back. So now, to upkeep her family, she does odd jobs around the neighbourhood.
But that’s not all. Jeetwantie says she has 11 children in all, but thankfully, the three older girls are all married and have gone their separate ways.
Presently, the children are in dire need of proper food, clothing and medical attention, and sometimes the older ones too have to work to support the home and tend to their younger siblings.
Jeetwantie said she pays a monthly rent of $2,000 for the house in which they live, even though they don’t have access to potable water, electricity and any proper sanitation facilities. The landlord lives aback the property in another house.
Grateful for whatever help she’s received from Pandit Sugrim, she promised him upon receipt of the items he brought her family that she will try to stop drinking and take better care of her children.
Pandit Sugrim said in return that once Jeetwantie “cleans up her act,” he is willing to provide the family with groceries on a monthly basis, and will also deliver more clothing and other basic necessities for the children.
He said too that once he returns and sees no improvement where the children are concerned, he will ensure that they are placed in foster care until they are adopted, whereby they can get the care and attention they need.
According to the cleric, the house in which they live has bits of cloth where curtains should be, no furniture, and kitchen utensils consist of tins and pans. The yard is overgrown with weeds and there is only one bedroom where everyone sleeps.