Devotees of the El Dorado Shiv Mandir (ESM), Maha Sabha Branch N51 is giving back to the community through the Mahant Ramdass Education Fund. "This year was the largest disbursement from the Mahant Ramdass Education Fund," noted the mandir's president Harrylal as she delivered remarks at the Student Achievement Award Function held on August 28. "There were two categories. The first was that 11 children were able to benefit from the fund this year, where we were able to purchase their school uniform as well as their bag packs and stationery. The second category looked at giving 100 children their school stationery of copy books, note books, pens, pencils, rulers, erasers," she explained.
"To be one of the 11 children, the executive committee examined the economic well-being of the home. In the majority of the cases, only one parent had a job and this was the mother. The child was not judged by race or religion, so the temple was able to touch the lives of these 11 children drawing from various parts of Trinidad & Tobago such as Sangre Grande, Cunupia, Arouca as well as El Dorado. Yet, it was important for us to ensure we assisted many more and the executive committee decided to focus the 100 mass children on stationery items," she continued. In total, $10,000 was given back to the children of the community through the fund, which is replenished through the hosting of the Mahant Ramdass Award Function and Charity Dinner, which will be held on September 18 at the Centre of Excellence. The awardee will be Mungal Patasar. The fund is also replenished through other contributions of devotees.
"In particular, this year, I wish to thank specially the Ramnasibsingh family, the Debysingh family and the Balroop family for their contributions. I also wish to recognise each and every individual that made their input into the fund. A little can accumulate to go a long way in delivering and making a positive impact on our children," concluded Harrylal.
