By Kaelanne Jordan
mediarelations.camsel@catholictt.org
My first introduction to The Children’s Ark was through the news of the Learning Centre for migrant children in Penal. Simone de la Bastide, President of The Children’s Ark, shared with The Catholic News that their collaboration with Archbishop Charles Jason Gordon, the Living Water Community (LWC), the Migrant Ministry, and the St Dominic’s RC, Penal Parish was initiated to address the educational needs of the many migrant children who were unable to enroll in the national school system.
The founding of The Children’s Ark was inspired by a deep commitment to address the urgent needs of marginalised and disadvantaged children. Some of the founding members “had a very long history in other charitable organisations.”
Using that experience of over 24 years, the Board of The Children’s Ark recognised a great need to concentrate particularly on children who were not only marginalised, but those who were most at risk, abused, abandoned, and otherwise challenged. “The many significant projects that we have completed in the past are a testimony to that,” de la Bastide said.
She explained the name ‘Ark’ signifies protection, as in Noah’s Ark. “If I may quote our former Patron and President of Trinidad & Tobago, Anthony Carmona, who put it perfectly: ‘There is no nobler cause than the one being pursued by The Children’s Ark. There can be no greater symbol of protection than the Ark. The Ark could push society to bear witness to its humanity by our actions rather than our glorious words. I am confident that The Children’s Ark will be the type of NGO that will create a holistic environment, that will create a citizen and a patriot that we can all be proud of.’”
De la Bastide highlighted that sport and education are among the key programmes and initiatives of The Children’s Ark. Partnerships, she underscored, are key to a successful project or programme.
Recently, The Children’s Ark partnered with the Inter Agency Task Force, the Daren Ganga Foundation, and the Each One Teach One school at Beetham. The objective was to accommodate a sports programme for eight months in Beetham, involving a couple hundred young residents in football and cricket. This opportunity not only attracted the youth’s interest in sports but also helped build their confidence in teamwork, discipline, and overall skills.
High-profile members of society were invited to participate and interact with the young boys and girls. “It was a huge success in every way,” said de la Bastide.
She mentioned Wayne Jordan, the founder of the All In One Child Development Centre and the Each One Teach One school in Beetham, as a “Godsend” for the children in the area. “He has dedicated over 40 years of his life to educating and working with the children of Beetham. I have worked with him for the last 24 years,” she said.
Among other past projects with Jordan, The Children’s Ark is currently facilitating a large prefabricated three-bedroom home, complete with the necessary fittings, to accommodate Jordan and seven small children.
The Children’s Ark is also currently assisting a seven-year-old boy, who was originally abandoned, to attend a special needs school, partnering with LWC and Wendy Gomez, a speech therapist.
At the May 9 opening of the Learning Center, de la Bastide spoke of The Children’s Ark demolishing 14 colonial death row cells at the Port of Spain prison to create a modern library.
She later explained the inspiration was based on an approach by Debbie Jacob and her Wishing for Wings programme at the prison, aimed at providing a rehabilitative environment for inmates.
Recognising the need for reform and the great loss that young children experience with their father’s imprisonment, The Children’s Ark partnered with the Prison Service and Jacob on “this most worthy project”.
“Needless to say, the planning and design took great collaboration with the relevant authorities. In the end, it created a special bond between the inmates and their children, together with a literacy programme for the inmates,” de la Bastide said.
She explained that the new library has helped strengthen family ties, promote literacy, and support the emotional well-being of both fathers and their children. She mentioned that for the last few years, Jacob’s Wishing For Wings programme has been halted at the prisons, and she is no longer involved in rehabilitating and educating the inmates, which de la Bastide described as “a great loss for the overall good.”
de la Bastide highlighted that The Children’s Ark has made a significant contribution towards improving the lives of children in several spheres. They spearheaded a six-month anti-Child Trafficking Awareness & Prevention Campaign, partnering with the Counter Trafficking Unit, the Victims and Witness Support Unit, and Maiti Nepal, targeting over 600 schools.
The relocation and reconstruction of the Surgical Ward and Operating Theatre at the Princess Elizabeth Home for challenged children was another major project of The Children’s Ark.
Among other “out of the box” projects, The Children’s Ark, through an anonymous sponsor, contributed an Eye-Gaze special computer-like device to several young individuals as well as to the National Centre for Persons with Disabilities in the South. This device allows the handicapped to type using their eyes.
The Children’s Ark donated a 32-seater bus to Goodwill Industries to ensure the safe passage of their students to and from Goodwill.
They are currently involved in assisting financially with the disaster relief efforts following the destruction caused to some of our neighbours by Hurricane Beryl.
Like most NGOs, funding is always a challenge. As The Children’s Ark is a nonprofit, registered, transparent, and accountable charitable organisation, “corporate society often sees the need, through Corporate Social Responsibility, to support and fund the work of charitable organisations like The Children’s Ark.”
de la Bastide cited that the shared commitment, experience, teamwork, and the ability to open doors are the keys to The Children’s Ark’s success. The people behind the scenes of The Children’s Ark include doctors, judges, businessmen and women, lawyers, a retired Senator/Chief Justice, a former First Lady, and philanthropists, all coming together for the greater good of uplifting and making a difference in the lives of the most vulnerable, disadvantaged, and challenged children in T&T.