THE“BalNivas” at Ankerville, Corentyne, Berbice, a children’s shelter which will also serve as a counselling and skills-training facility, is now expected to become a reality by mid-year, according to President of the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha, Dr. Vindhya Persaud.

Giving an update on the shelter during an interview with the Guyana Chronicle yesterday, Persaud said the Sabha had hoped to open the shelter by the end of 2013, but now “we are looking at, perhaps, mid-year”.
Construction of the shelter began in February last year, after the Sabha signed the building contract with Kascon Engineering Service of Berbice, and construction followed the donation of land by the Government of Guyana, fund-raising activities, and donations from individuals, families, businesses, and the Sabha’s New York Chapter.
Predominantly a children’s shelter, the facility will spearhead many programmes in order to educate communities about domestic violence and parenting. Rehabilitation and counselling programmes will also be held to ensure that victims are ready to be re-integrated and placed in a safe environment.
Right now, Dr. Persaud said, the entire external structure of the building has been completed and they are now doing internal works including painting, tiling, wiring, and other fixtures, and they also have to furnish the building while they have to erect a fence and build a walkway.
According to the Sabha’s President, about $10M more needs to be raised, and as such, she is encouraging businesses and individuals to come on board with their support.
“We are looking at about mid-year; but to complete everything, we need to raise $10M that includes the fence and a walkway, and it excludes operational costs and furnishing,” she noted.
The original cost of the project was $69M; however, Dr. Persaud said, “now, of course, it has exceeded that with variation and it’s probably going to be almost $80M”.
She announced that, in celebration of the Sabha’s 40 years of existence and the 176th Anniversary of Indian Arrival in Guyana, they will be bringing back, by popular demand, the immensely talented Sonu Nigam and his troupe to perform at the National Stadium, Providence, East Bank Demerara, on May, 4, 2014, and proceeds from this event will go towards the completion of the project.
The President of the Sabha, who is also a Member of Parliament, said the shelter has been primarily financed from concerts featuring legendary singers Sonu Nigam, Shreya Ghoshal, AlkaYagnik and Udit Narayan, recalling that it was Nigam’s first concert in Guyana held in April 2012 that “started off the ball rolling on this whole thing”.
She said they will also be doing smaller fund-raising activities in the first half of this year, and will be hoping for the generosity of persons, families and businesses.
“We have realised that it is going to cost us quite a lot to continue the operations, so one of the things we plan to do is to make it self-sufficient in terms of food, because we want to do a little kitchen garden and that kind of thing; but to have staff to be paid and other expenses. We are hoping that a few companies will come on board and donate year round certain things and then, of course, we will have to continue to do fund-raising, because it’s quite a significant expenditure we expect to incur ,” she explained.
The shelter will have a broad-based board upon completion, and will collaborate with the Human Services Ministry and its Child Care and Protection Unit.
Though mainly a children’s shelter which can accommodate 60 children, the Sabha has dedicated one wing of the building to a counselling centre and a skills-training centre in its drive to empower women and work with youth.
These are mainly to benefit women in the community who may be suffering at the hands of their partners.
The intention is to re-integrate individuals into the community and into proper families after a period of time at the shelter.
“We figure that it could be a multi-purpose building because of the size of the building and where it is located it is quite central, so we will be offering that type of service to the entire area,” she stated.
“Our focus predominantly will be women and youth because they are usually the people who have issues, but it is open to anyone,” she highlighted.
“We want to invite people to go up and visit and see for themselves what is happening and we have to thank everybody for supporting our shows generously, because that was how we were able to start it and get this far,” she expressed.
The Sabha launched its year of activities in celebration of its 40th Anniversary with a well-attended Satsangh at the Shri Krishna Mandir, Campbelville, last Wednesday, and on January 26, the Sabha will host a special cultural programme at the Pandit Reepu Daman Persaud Dharmic Sanskritik Kendra at 10:00hrs.
“When you talk about all of our programmes, in terms of the national calendar, most of them would have originated in the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha and we have taken them to great levels,” she boasted.
The Sabha’s President said their platform this year is “alcohol abuse” and they will also be looking at literacy programmes.
She pointed out that the Sabha has been expanding its ambit, focusing not only on culture and religion, but also on social issues.
“I think what is remarkable about the Sabha is that everybody serves voluntarily, nobody is paid and everybody gives of their time and that in, itself, is tremendous,” Dr. Persaud pointed out.
Among the many achievements of the Sabha, the organisation hosts well recognised events such as a Phagwah Mela and Bazaar, Chowtaal Samelaan, Holi Utsav, Deepavali Motorcade, NayaZamana, Kala Utsav and Indian Arrival Day celebrations, which are supported by thousands annually and continue to evolve and is eagerly anticipated.
She disclosed that this year, the Sabha is launching the Children’s Ram Leela, a dramatic enactment of the Ramayan, which will be a countrywide activity. She explained , “It is an old tradition brought here by our fore-parents and we want to revive this with the input of children”.
In terms of the Sabha’s Dharmic Nursery and Primary Schools, which continue to provide excellent education, she said, they are looking to expand this to the secondary level.
According to a press release from the Sabha, several other initiatives include Prathna Satsangh, Bacho-Ka-Satsangh and the training programmes offered for free at the Pandit Reepu Daman Persaud Dharmic Sanskritik Kendra in music, dance, Hindi, Sanskrit, Gita and Panditai. In addition to the thousands trained at the Dharmic Kendra since it opened its doors in the early 1990s as the first recognised Hindu Academy in the Caribbean by the Indian Government, the Sabha has not spared its efforts to offer those same training opportunities around the country at its affiliated mandirs, and Kendras in Berbice and Essequibo.
Conscious of its expanding role in Guyana, it has also been engaging in structured programmes dealing with social issues and working with the underprivileged and those affected by disaster or ill health. The Sabha has actively worked against alcohol abuse, domestic violence, and suicide, and worked in the field of HIV/AIDS.
It also mentioned the Sabha’s “Voices against Child Abuse” programme which started in 2009 and has resulted in the construction of the shelter “BalNivas”, which will house children who are victims of abuse and also serve as a counselling and skills-training facility in their drive to empower women and work with youth.
Its youths have played an integral role and have been trained as peer educators in all of these areas and recently as educators in its new parenting programme.
Its Dharmic Naujawaan, its youth arm, has over the years, been immersed in countrywide charity drives and blood donations and other youth programmes, while Mahila Mandalee, the women’s arm, has been engaged in a literacy campaign among children and presents bursaries to outstanding children around the country annually, while the elderly have not been left out as hampers are distributed. Last year, 175 hampers were distributed around the country to the elderly.

(Priya Ali)