A HOUSEWIFE’S compassionate generosity and kindness towards unfortunate children in her community led her to feed them fruits that grew in her yard, and tell them stories while they ate. And by this simple gesture, the Ruimveldt Children’s Aid Centre was established, and now feeds some 60 children daily.
What is now the Thirst Park premises of the Banks DIH Limited used to be the compound of a sugar factory, and the building currently housing the children’s centre was home to the factory manager, Mr Samuel Dookun. That compound was bought out by the Banks DIH Limited in its evolution into becoming the beverage giant it is today.

During his tenure as factory manager, Mr Dookun’s wife, Marie, would draw the community’s children to her by the sterling acts of kindness mentioned above, and she eventually began keeping a Sunday School.
When Mrs. Dookun died, her four children, who were all resident abroad by that time, thought their best course of action was to convert the house into what their mother would have wanted – a home to help children, of course!

One of Mrs. Dookun’s daughters subsequently came home with a friend to begin the process of converting the house into a children’s home. This friend’s grandson had been killed in a road accident, and a Trust Fund had been established that the friend wanted to dedicate to children. Therefore, in 1991, the two women registered the centre, located at Lot 13 Public Road, Ruimveldt, as a charitable organisation.

In 2004, they asked Mrs. Ismay Murray to help out at the centre, because they were resident abroad and couldn’t travel as often as they wished. Mrs. Murray is currently Vice President of the Ruimveldt Children’s Centre, serving under Mrs. Georgina Martin, its president and another one of Mrs. Dookun’s daughters, who is now in her 80s and resides in England. Mrs. Martin and Mrs. Murray are members of the same church.

In a recent interview with the Chronicle, Mrs. Murray disclosed that the community wherein lies the centre is very depressed, especially in the back area of Riverview, known as Sea Dam. She said the centre, a voluntary, non-profit, charitable organisation, registered # 643 on July 18, 1991 under the Friendly Societies Act, has on record more than  100 children between the ages of three and 15, but feeds about 60 each day after they would have gone to school.

From Monday to Friday, the centre holds dance tuition; choir practice; after-school lessons; career development; and counselling for those children who need a quiet space with a trained counsellor to share and try to solve their problems.

Saturday sees a youth club wherein recreational activities are devised and carried out with the emphasis being on the children having fun. On Sunday, children are taught religious education at Sunday School.

Children attending the centre come mainly from Riverview in Ruimveldt and Company Path  (Yarrow Dam) in Albouystown, Georgetown. Ms. Maudline December, a retired teacher, is the centre’s administrative assistant, and there is also a cook/cleaner along with volunteers. A management committee comprising seven persons has also been set up. The two patrons of the centre are Misses Jessica Hatfield and Arti Cameron. The original patron, Mrs. Joyce Hoyte, died on February 14, 2011.

Funding & volunteers
The centre depends mainly on donations from kind members of the public, which can be delivered during its opening hours — from 2.00pm to 6.00pm (14hrs to 18hrs) from Monday to Friday.

Mrs Murray disclosed that the current regular donors to the centre are Banks DIH Ltd, Scotia Bank, Courts (Guyana) Limited, and Mr. and Mrs. Courtney Benn of Courtney Benn Contracting Services Limited. However, the centre is working on a project that would allow  independent fund-raising. Management of the centre also wants to eventually buy the building from the Dookuns.

Murray said there is need for more male volunteers, as many of the children do not have a father figure in their lives.
Anyone wishing to volunteer or make a donation can contact the centre on 227- 3092 or 674-7692.