By Navendra Seoraj

ASIDE from the partying and frollicking for Guyana’s 50th Independence Anniversary, the Sonia Noel Foundation for Creative Arts (SNFCA) in collaboration with the Women’s Association of Suitable Development (WASD), has taken up the mantle to give back to society during this time.Through a “super six initiative”, WASD’s President, Sonia Noel and team intend to reach out to society with the hope of giving back in six different ways to six different sections of the public.
Noel said with the support they have amassed from the diaspora over the years, their association had been doing charitable work and reaching new heights when it comes to giving back to not just Guyanese but, also people around the Caribbean.
Speaking to members of the media during a press conference at the Pegasus Hotel on Thursday, Noel outlined that for the upcoming month of May, they intended to intensify their efforts and give back to mothers, children, the needy and even the elderly.
“Every year, SNFCA has been involved in philanthropic work. And riding on this wave of love and affection we are going to incorporate this into our plans for Guyana’s 50th Independence Anniversary festivities and Mothers day,” said Noel.
Being a strong advocate for charitable work, she said that during May they intend giving back to firstly single mothers.
In keeping with the Golden Jubilee, they intend on making everything they give and do equivalent to 50, therefore 50 randomly selected single mothers will receive 50 hampers. “Knowing the struggles of being a single mother from first-hand experience, I could relate to what some of them go through on a day-to-day basis,” said WASD’s President.
As such, the hampers will range from groceries to cosmetics, and there is also a special prize from Fly Jamaica, where two lucky mothers will be selected to spend a little vacation in Jamaica.
Apart from that, seniors from different communities are also set to receive a monetary bursary from the association, since their inputs over the past 50 years had been vital to development of the country.
Fifty senior citizens will receive US$50 from the group, while 50 under-privileged children will receive the same amount of money, which will go towards purchasing of educational materials.
The distribution of joy does not stop there, as the group intends to partner 50 mentors with 50 mentees, on the topic of entrepreneurial development and innovative ways to be financially stable from a young age.
For this, they intend to strike a balance by having 25 boys and an equal amount of girls assigned to one mentor each; mentors will guide them and work with them as they move to instill entrepreneurial knowledge in the youths.
With this, WASD and SNFCA intend to educate the youths so that they could better themselves and look at life from a new and positive perspective.
Noel added that given that youths were benefiting from their projects, they intend to give children with special needs a chance to showcase their talent and also develop themselves. The children from the David Rose School for Special Needs will design 50 pieces of fabrics, which will be sold and the returns will go towards the development of the school.
The colours and scintillating designs will also continue to be showcased, this time, by designer Clinton Duncan who intends to bring 50 different fashion illustrations to the floor, come May.
All these projects, she said, were just a piece of what the groups had to offer, noting that their work will continue throughout the year and in years to come. Her ideas and projects were welcome by other members of the organisations, who also supported her ideals and echoed the promise to continue their good work.