An NPO (Non-Profit Organisation) that provides Art tutoring for 80 students from La Brea was one of five organizations receiving a total of TT$300,000 in support at the ANSA McAL Head Office in Port of Spain this morning. Other beneficiaries include an organization that supplies books for primary school libraries, and a recently established hospice in Santa Cruz that will soon offer free care to terminally ill patients.

ANSA McAL Foundation Director Nabeel Hadeed handed over a cheque for $50,000 to support the Rose Foundation’s Art programme, which provides tutoring and art supplies such as canvases and acrylic paint to 80 Standard 4 and 5 students from La Brea. “We realize that academics alone is not transformative,” said the Foundation’s Anisa Oliviel, noting that the Rose Foundation chose La Brea, in part, because its Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) results are among the lowest in the country. The art students recently held their first exhibit – of paintings portraying community icons, and their concepts of the universe.

“They are excelling in Art and also excelling in other subjects,” said Anisa Oliviel, of the improvement in academics that the Rose Foundation attributes to its Support for Art programme.

(L to R) ANSA McAL Foundation Director Nabeel Hadeed with The Rose Foundation’s Anisa Oliviel and Dr Marcia McClashie Belgrove, Staci Sabga of the Dyslexia Association, Dr Jacqueline Sabga of Promise House, Suzette Cadiz of Let’s Read, Tenille Maingot, also of Promise House, and Cheryl St Louis and Dawne Pierre of the National Association of Administrative Professionals

Let’s Read founder Suzette Cadiz told her civil society colleagues that her organization was established to stock primary school libraries with books at the prompting of two principals in Central Trinidad who were concerned about student literacy and comprehension. The organization has since equipped 40 primary school libraries. “All of T&T’s primary schools have library spaces, but they have not been used,” said Cadiz. “Nobody (other than Let’s Read) is putting books into primary schools. We’ve done 40, but there are 460-something… And we believe that the opportunity to read opens up a child’s world.” Let’s Read’s $30,000 in Foundation support will be used to stock and upgrade the Maraval RC Primary School library.

Other recipients of ANSA McAL Foundation funding were Promise House in Santa Cruz, which received a donation to help with staffing and equipping its hospice to provide dignified end-of-life care without charge; the National Association of Administrative Professionals, which has established a Student of the Year award for Business students; and the Dyslexia Association, which trains teachers to coach and support students with reading challenges.