RUBIS Guyana is once again lending support to Guyana’s youth as they begin the 2021/22 school year. Last month, the energy company partnered with the National Coordinating Coalition (NCC) to prepare 19 students for the new school term with a donation of essential school supplies. These children, aged between five to fourteen years, reside in the Sophia and Cummings Lodge communities in Georgetown and are part of the NCC’s numeracy and literacy program. The donation included school shoes, socks, backpacks, bottles, pens and pencils, all critical items as the students prepared for a return to face to face learning. The total value of the school supplies exceeded US$2000.
During the presentation at the NCC offices, there was a lot of chattering and excitement as the children examined their gifts and tried on the school shoes. Complimentary headsets were added to some of the shoe boxes which added to the euphoria. Joylyn Johnson, Accounts Executive, RUBIS Guyana, explained, “As much as possible, we will continue to assist in filling breaches arising out of financial distress. However, while as a company we cannot solve the problems of all, we do believe in the old adage that says, ‘by the yard is hard but inch by inch anything is a cinch’.” She added, “These school items will ensure that the children will be well equipped to begin the new term, minimise the burden on parents and allow their limited financial resources to be channelled in other directions.”
Simone Sills, Executive Director of the NCC, expressed her heartfelt gratitude to the company for reaching out once again. She explained, “It was a wonderful exercise to see the delight on the faces of both the children and parents who were present as we fitted the children’s shoes.”
RUBIS has committed to supporting education in Guyana. At the start of the pandemic last year, TEAMRUBIS donated 26 tablets to the Department of Education to assist the students of Diamond Primary School with e-learning. Later that year, the energy company assisted the NCC with a donation of 10 laptops with internet access for use in their youth program. RUBIS also provided Generation Next with funding to assist with upgrading hardware for their computers and expanding the number of courses offered in order to broaden the skillset of their students.
