For more than a decade, Lloyd Forbes and his wife Joan have been coming from the United States to come to Trinidad every Christmas to help hundreds of destitute people. They do this via a non-profit organisation called Citizens and Friends of T&T, simply because they love to help. They also work with children's homes and local charities like the Just Because Foundation, which specialises in helping children who are battling cancer. The couple, who has been married for the last 35 years, grew up in Laventille before migrating to Los Angeles in the 1970's. This year Joan was not able to make it so her husband came alone to distribute the items.
Forbes, who is the treasurer of the organisation, reminisced about the first time they started coming home to lend a hand during an interview at his childhood home at Hamel-Smith Street, Laventille. "We started the toy drive 11 years ago. We started with a small number of toys. The first year we just had four boxes," he said. Now the group ships between 33-40 boxes of foodstuff, medical supplies and toys, which costs between US$30,000-US$40,000, every year. Forbes said he started the activity in his community because he kept hearing about the rising crime in the area and realised that there were many people in need of assistance. The group was really started to help children in need of medical care but soon blossomed into an organisation that provides any type of aid that an underprivileged child or family might need. "When the group was started in 1996, it was to help children under the age of 18 with their medical problems, which we still try to do," he said.
"It's really just to help underprivileged kids. Now we find out where someone who is in need lives and we go to their homes and give them hampers and toys and stuff." This year they were able to help a single mother whose child has cerebral palsy and needed a specially- made chair for bathing. The woman was turned down by the government when she applied for help because she is working. They also donated a motorised wheelchair to a man who became a quadriplegic after a vehicular accident a few years ago. Forbes said the reward for him is in knowing that he has helped someone, and said there are other T&T nationals in the US who want to help the less fortunate here, but don't know how to. "A lot of people forget where they come from but we discovered a lot of Trinidadians who were interested in the work we do. We found a lot of them want to give back but they just don't have the trust. We come every year so we know who really needs the help and we are able to make sure that their donations are contributed to the community."
Citizens and Friends of T&T also helps those in need during the year, especially if there urgent cases. Forbes expressed concern at the worsening poverty in T&T and feels people have to wait too long for medical care. He said NGOs face a lot of obstacles in this country when they are trying to help. "Jamaica is a country that may not be as rich as here but they are more receptive to medical health help than this government," Forbes said. "We tried once to have Dr Laurence Weekes who does laparoscopic surgery come down to help through a medical mission and they (Ministry of Health) refused him. He had his own machines. Right now he works with a Jamaican association to train doctors. He tried to do it here and he got denied." Weekes is a Trinidad-born certified general surgeon in Simi Valley, California. Forbes, who works with the City of Inglewood in California, said every year he faces some frustration because of delays with the Customs and Excise Division."We face a lot of bureaucracy and I would like to ask that the government be more receptive and helpful to NGOs because they can help a lot."
Forbes said he feels some officials believe many people who are involved in NGOs are "on schemes" but he finds this behaviour very regressive because he knows there are many people here who desperately need help, especially where medical care is concerned.
There is hope that they can expand their efforts more to help even more people."We want to include a lot more health care. We would like to see the medical care in this country greatly improved because a lot of doctors in the US who were born here are willing to give back their time. We would really like to see the T&T government be more receptive to ex-pats coming back and giving back to their country in terms of time and service."
Even with all these shortcomings Forbes said he and his wife just want to continue helping people."You know it's just the reward of giving back. I like to see when children are very receptive. My best moment is when I see that I put a smile on a child's face. I get more joy from this than if I come for Carnival. When I do this I know I have done something with a purpose and that is my reward."