– teen discharged from hospital, new home for family in two weeks

MINISTER of Education, Nicolette Henry, donated two beds to the 15-year-old Linden Foundation Student, Shashamani Williams, who was stabbed last month by her schoolmate.
The teen, who was recently discharged from the Linden Hospital Complex, will now have a comfortable bed to rest in a newly-constructed home.

The house which is being constructed by an NGO ‘Remigrants United’, will be completed in two weeks. According to a press release from the Education Ministry, Minister Henry, on Saturday, donated two beds, with mattresses to Mr. Maynard Williams, the father of the student.

The minister wanted to ensure that the teenager’s needs are adequately met now that she has been discharged from the hospital and on the road to recovery.

According to Mr. Paul Nurse, a member of the NGO, after learning of the girl’s plight and the family’s living arrangement, he, along with other members, have been seeking assistance from persons in the community and elsewhere to assist with the construction of a new home for the family. This includes building materials and monetary donations. While the house is being constructed, the family is being accommodated at a guest house, since their present living condition is not conducive to the teen’s recovery.

The education minister said that it is heartwarming to see such acts of kindness when it is most needed, and believes that persons can learn from the approaches and initiatives of the NGO. Minister Henry also visited the family at the guest house where they are temporarily residing. This is the second time Minister Henry visited the victim. She had paid the child a visit while she was hospitalised.

The alleged perpetrator, another 15-year-old student, is still on bail as the police continue their investigation into the matter.

Since the incident, which went viral, the Region 10 Department of Education has ramped out school’s welfare services to proactively address issues of violence that have been escalating in schools across the region and the country at large.