MRS YVONNE HINDS on Monday symbolically cut the ribbon at the New Amsterdam Special Needs School, which became beneficiaries of a $1.5M playground and therapy room, compliments of G.A.I.L. Foundation, of Orlando, Florida.

The ‘Giving Abundantly In Life’ Organisation, which was founded by Guyana-born Attorney Ms Gail Seeram, had worked collaboratively with other donors to raise funds in an effort to contribute to varying developmental ventures locally.
So far, the NGO, formed in 2010, has financed two playgrounds, furnished toddler rooms at two orphanages, and a therapy room.
Giving a backdrop to the project, Ms Gail Seeram, revealed that initially she had proposed to improve the playground facilities at the educational facilities; but subsequently found out that there were specific educational needs for the students.
Consequently, several Guyanese, along with their Caribbean counterparts in the diaspora, made a financial contribution, totalling US$7,600, and purchased an overhead projector, a laptop and a desktop computer, special signs, DVDs, books, and learning toys which was donated by Sesame Street, along with six swingers, a ladder and slide, a double ladder and a see-saw.
Meanwhile, Ms Hinds, wife of Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, in introducing the G. A.I.L. Foundation, noted the contributions of the organisation to the Guyana Relief Council of which she is the charperson.
Additionally, Ms Hinds, stated that the Foundation is a reminder that Guyanese living abroad are still willing to support ventures in Guyana, and implored the beneficiaries to take good care of the facilities.
Representative of the school, Ms Carolyn Prkash, in highlighting the institution’s history, said the school was initially referred to as the Lions School for Handicapped Children. It was formed in September 1986, by the National Rehabilitation Committee, as a result of family and friends of persons with disabilities who had recognized the need for the group to be educated. The learning institution   was then housed at the Lions United building at Lot 1 Vryman’s Erven and Republic Road in New Amsterdam. The initial intake was 15 students, and the target group was children aged five to 18, with low vision, hearing impairment and mental retardation.
The education institution, subsequently moved to its present location at Lot 127 Vryman’s Erven, on a plot of land which was donated by the New Building Society, and was officially renamed the New Amsterdam Special Needs School. It was handed over to the Ministry of Education by then President Janet Jagan, in 1994.
The school now boasts 67 full and part-time students, 10 teachers appointed by the Teaching Service Commission, three auxiliary staff and two volunteers who receive monthly stipends from the United Women For Children with Special Needs.