The Price Philanthropies Foundation, a charitable fund of American warehouse chain PriceSmart Inc, has made its second major donation to T&T citizens, this time to 3,200 students from 13 primary schools across T&T.
Price Philanthropies, together with Proctor & Gamble, made the donation of school supplies, including notebooks and other stationery. PriceSmart recently donated computers to communities centres in hotspots across T&T.
The handover ceremony was hosted by Women in Action for the Needy & Destitute (WAND) at the Youth Training and Employment Partnership Programme building at Woodford Lodge, Chaguanas, yesterday.
Principals and representatives of the schools from Port-of-Spain, Mausica, Chaguanas and San Fernando were present to receive donor letters.
PriceSmart Trinidad's country manager, Dhanraj Mahabir, noted it was his company and WAND's "second event together", adding they were looking forward to working on many more projects.
Mahabir quoted 19th Century Irish novelist, Oscar Wilde, who said, "The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention."
Mahabir said free education is abundant in T&T, in schools and on the Internet, but what is scare is our desire to learn.
Price Philanthropies will continue to support parents, principals and the wider society in this area, he said.
Jan Bocas-Ryan, WAND President, said the school supplies will supplement what students have and assist them over the school term.
On a different note, she said the primary school curriculum must be expanded to include matters of care for the environment.
"I am not aware that agriculture, plants or planting in any serious way is on the curriculum.
"Yet, we have to learn to plant and feed ourselves instead of purchasing everything."
She said WAND is also encouraging schools to ensure T&T's ethnic and cultural diversity are acknowledged.