Christmas came hours early on the eve of the big day for dozens of vulnerable children living in Region Four, thanks to the ‘Wish Upon a Star’ gift-granting initiative of the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security.
Subject Minister Dr. Vindhya Persaud took on the role of Santa, sharing out presents to the little ones.
At the event complete with cheery Christmas music, Minister Persaud said she is pleased that the initiative achieved its objective – that is putting smiles on the faces of these children during this time of the year.
“Hundreds of children would have benefitted because we went to the Region to ensure everyone got their Christmas wish.
“To see the smile on the kids’ faces when they receive their gift, that is priceless, and that is what we want to achieve with the ‘Wish Upon A Star’ initiative,” Dr. Persaud highlighted.
The initiative saw hundreds of children writing letters to the Ministry outlining what they wanted for Christmas.
It focuses on children between the ages of four and 15 with special needs, such as those living with disabilities; children who have experienced some traumatic or psychological incident in their life; who have lost their parents and do not have guardians or caregivers; and who have never had the opportunity to enjoy that one gift that could make them incredibly happy.
And, according to Minister Persaud, many of the wishes were “not for material things.”
“Some of the wishes were really touching,” the Minister revealed.
“They literally broke out hearts because some wanted things like tablets, but one child asked for groceries for her Mom.
“One child said they just wanted the nurses in the hospital to be kinder to them and others just wanted to meet with me. There were so many wishes and we tried to stay as close as possible to make sure each child got what they wanted,” Minister Persaud said.
The Human Services Minister reserved special thanks to the sponsors of the initiative.
“It just means that Wish Upon A Star will grow from strength to strength and we can really make more wishes come through,” the Minister envisaged.
