— Human Service Ministry commits to helping children
THE community of Sophia was immersed in a highly emotional scenario when the children, relatives and well-wishers of the late Valarie Henry paid their last respects to the mother of nine, who collapsed and died of haemorrhage and hypertension, when a party of policemen opened fire a few metres from her home and business place to scare a group of young men away from a school bridge. Yesterday, the woman’s body was made available for viewing at the Sandy’s Funeral Home, where several concerned persons turned out to get a glimpse of her remains.
The body was then moved to her Sophia business place, located on the government reserve where she and her nine children lived and operated a food shop.
The woman’s body was then transported to Timehri, East Bank Demerara for a funeral service prior to interment.
Last Wednesday evening, several persons in the Sophia area expressed disgust at the actions of the police in relation to their indiscriminate shooting and subsequent refusal to transport the woman to get medical assistance after she had collapsed upon hearing the shots being discharged by the police officers.
Valarie Henry was said to be the sole breadwinner of her family.
Meanwhile, last week, the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security offered immediate assistance to the family by footing the entire cost of the funeral, and also providing the father of the children with a substantial amount of cash to assist the family to get by in the interim.
Minister Jennifer Webster; Permanent Secretary Lorene Baird; and Director of Social Services, Wensworth Tanner, all committed to ensuring that the needs and welfare of Ms Henry’s four school-aged children are adequately provided for.
Minister Webster also met with the grieving family last week and heard their concerns. Thereafter, she immediately ordered that the documents of the four children be submitted to the ministry, so as to commence the process of having them placed on the public assistance register. Minister Webster had registered her sympathy and that of the Government of Guyana to the family, while noting that the circumstances under which the woman met her demise were truly unfortunate.
The late Valarie Henry, along with her husband and nine children, had been living on the government’s reserve along the ‘C’ Field Access Road for well over three years. The school-aged children are said to be 7, 9, 10 and 11 years old.
The Minister had indicated her ministry’s intentions to engage the Education Ministry to secure a transfer for the children to attend a school close to where they live. However, the minister was forced to inform the family that she would also have to have discussions with several other agencies before that can be done. This was necessary after she learnt that the place the family called home was actually the government reserve.
Immediately after receiving the assistance from the minister, Stanley Henry expressed his gratitude to the minister and her team, pointing out that the minister’s actions represented the interest of the government in sharing the family’s concerns and hurt at this time. He expressed the need for assistance for his children in the form of school supplies and other materials.
On Thursday, Stanley Henry had informed this publication that all he wanted was justice for his wife’s death and the pain that his children will now have to live with. He lamented that far too many times the actions of the police are described as highhanded, and there seems to be no end to that practice.