Rotaract Club takes operation B.O.O.S.T to Essequibo

Through its volunteer initiatives, the Rotaract Club of Georgetown Central (RCGC) recently conducted an outreach in the community of Lima Sands, Essequibo Coast, where 150 children were lucky to receive backpacks and supplies while several residents received medical services.

Under a project dubbed ‘Operation B.O.O.S.T’, the Club also engaged in sprucing up of the community’s nursery school in time for the 2016/2017 school term.

The club provided outdoor playfield equipment, brightened the interior walls and furniture of the school and renovated the library. The nursery school received a swing, seesaw and a crawl tube.

Shoes were also distributed as part of the project.

According to Community Service Director, Sheena Mclean, the abbreviation “B.O.O.S.T.” represented ‘back to school, outreach, outdoor playfield construction, service provision and togetherness’.

The project was carried out on Saturday, August 20, 2016, with the help of approximately 90 volunteers, including those from RCGC; the Rotary Club of Georgetown Central, the Rotaract Club of Georgetown, Leo Club of Essequibo and the Suddie Hospital.

“The rationale behind this project was to ensure that the children of the Lima Sands Nursery and Primary Schools have the basic school items and other stationery supplies to enhance their overall learning abilities and to ease the burden of cost on their parents,” RCGC President, Cecil Maxwell, explained.

He added, “We also wanted to create a child-friendly environment so that the children can be able to have a balance of both academic and non-academic learning.”

Salome Persaud, Headmistress of the Lima Sands Nursery School, expressed extreme gratitude for the assistance provided. She explained that the school had been in “dire need” of the outdoor equipment since, previously, the compound had just contained sand.

“This is very, very good for our community,” she said, before adding, “We’re now developing so I think all of these…would give the building an enrichment and make it much more child-friendly.”

Meanwhile, the adults of the community also benefited through a medical outreach conducted at the Suddie Hospital.

Led by Dr. Karen Boyle of Rotary Georgetown Central, the volunteering team provided a number of services, including blood pressure and sugar tests. The residents were also educated on the importance of healthy lifestyles.