SOME 600 children from Lethem are slated to receive gifts this year as Eiripan hosts its 11th annual Christmas party in the North West District this week.Director of the programme, Melanie Mc Turk told the Guyana Chronicle that in addition to the 600 at Lethem, her organisation will be donating 200 gifts towards a Christmas Fair celebration within the Kanuku Mountains area, which will benefit children residing in communities therein.
Each child who attends the fair with a parent or guardian will receive a gift.
McTurk said over the years, Eiripan, a non-profit organisation, has donated thousands of gifts to children within the hinterland communities, and has made the presents unique to each child, whose name and profile would have been given to single sponsors.
Toys, books and school supplies are among the thousands of gifts that were transported into the North West District Sunday, with each child also having a backpack coming his or her way.
“The basis of the project is the idea that books and toys and play should be part of every child’s life,” McTurk told the Guyana Chronicle.
“These are things that stimulate the development of the individual, and will in turn promote development in communities.”
She said each year, her organisation partners with villages, on invitation, to provide Christmas presents to the children who reside there.
In a bid to encourage school attendance and post-natal care, she explained that the list of names compiled by the village councils are arrived at, based on attendance at school, and attendance at health clinics.
Eiripan partnered this year with sponsors Guyana National Newspapers Limited, Beharry Group of Companies, Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL), NT Computec, Banks DIH and Genesis Gym, among other companies and organisations.
McTurk explained that each community location would have set up a Christmas tree and on each Christmas tree cards, each with a beneficiary’s name, are placed with the label ‘Christmas for Makanaima’s Angels’. Though requests are not being made for fancy presents, the oranisation asks sponsors to buy gifts that are suitable and that will bring joy, as gifts usually range from modest to extraordinary.
“Each child gets a gift with his or her name on it, and it’s a very individual gift, so each gift is different.”

In addition to the Christmas presents, Eiripan has also partnered with School of the Nations, Giftland, Farfan and Mendez and Coffee Bean to collect for the children, school supplies which, along with a backpack are given to each child.