| …aiming to establish own NGORoxanne Dey (left) and her sister Ellen Le-A-Ping (centre) hand over the items to an official of the Red Cross Children’s Convalescent HomeWith a passion for helping others – both in the United States and Guyana – two sisters are undertaking the monumental task of starting their own non-governmental organisation (NGO).Although the new NGO, “Josiah’s Helping Hands, Healing Hearts” is yet to be opened, the sisters, Ellen Le-A-Ping and Roxanne Dey, have already begun helping the less fortunate.Just last week, the sisters made a donation to the Red Cross Children’s Convalescent Home in Durban Backlands.Speaking with this newspaper, the sisters explained that the NGO was conceptualised after years of helping others.According to Ellen, her mother had similarly believed in philanthropy. She recalled that each year her mother would get together as many supplies as possible and donate to the less fortunate. Since her mother’s death 14 years ago, Ellen said that she has tried to maintain this tradition. Though it has been on and off, she shared her intention of helping out others every year now. Ellen now resides in New York where she has been running her own licensed Day Care business for about 20 years now.Her sister, Roxanne, similarly spent years dealing in philanthropy. Not only is she a part of the Guyana Red Cross Society as a first aider but she also holds certificates in Childcare and Care for the Elderly.Roxanne lives in Guyana and explained that she would often visit Ellen in America.“My sister and I would sit and talk about coming up with this organisation and helping the needy, especially the children. We want to motivate them, to give them better lives in terms of feeding them healthy and giving them clothes on their backs. We’re also looking at giving back to single parents and battered women. We’ve also been into the interior and we’ve spoken with indigenous people there to see how we can work with them,” Roxanne said.“We would really like to put families back together,” Ellen added. “There are a lot of broken homes and single parents. It’s happening in the States and we’re seeing it happen in Guyana too. So, if we can help in any way to give back, then we would. We would also really like to send kids to school and pay for their education.”Explaining the name of the NGO, Ellen said that the body will set out to use helping hands to not only rebuild lives but heal hearts.“And it’s not only the hearts of children but the hearts of parents,China Jerseys Cheap,” she added.Passion for othersWhen asked on just what drives them to extend helping hands to those who need it, the sisters said that they have a passion for people,Cheap NFL Jerseys, especially children.“It was a drive since from so many years and we decided that since she’s (Ellen) coming to Guyana, we’ll sit down and make a package,” Roxanne said about the recent donation.Ellen also indicated that helping out the less fortunate was especially important to her since she,Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping, at one time in her life, had been homeless.She explained that when she had first arrived in the U.S, things were tough with her family. She found herself living on the streets, a situation she had never expected.“I know what it’s like not being able to care for yourself or have something to eat or even bathe,” she said. She continued,Cheap NFL Football Jerseys, “So,Cheap Air Max Ireland, it’s hard for me to see someone homeless, especially the kids because they can’t help themselves.” Ellen has volunteered at homeless shelters, conducted feeding programmes and even helped out survivors of 2012’s Hurricane Sandy.She admitted that she had given so much over the years that some of her relatives believe that she “gives too much”.However, she said, she does not believe that she has done enough and decided to expand beyond the U.S, with the help of her sister.“It’s something that I want to do everywhere,” she said. “I do charity work at home in the States and it’s just something we’re looking to broaden,” she added.The mother of eight – five of her own and three stepchildren – continued, “Since I have a Day Care,NFL Jerseys China, I have a passion for kids. There are so many homeless kids – not only in the States but here as well – and for some reason the parents have to give up their kids. For some, it’s just hard to maintain children without getting help from outside. So while I’ve given to people in the States, now I want to give back something to my country.”She added that she could not judge parents who leave their children as orphans since the unpredictability of life can prove difficult for many.Ellen further expressed hope that other regular citizens would take up the responsibility to help others. She explained that she recently visited Lethem and was surprised by how many adults cannot read or write.“I want others to follow suit with what we are doing, especially the overseas-based Guyanese,” Ellen said. She opined that people should extend helping hands in any way possible, whether it’s from establishing a reading club or donating items to the needy.“We in the States can come back and simply lend a helping hand,” Ellen stressed.Meanwhile, the donation to the Convalescent Home saw Ellen and Roxanne delivering a number of items, ranging from pampers and other sanitary items to books. The sisters indicated that while some of the items had been donated by parents of the pupils in Ellen’s Day Care, most of the items had been bought by the two women. Members of the home expressed gratitude for the women’s donation. |
