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alexk
Guest
Managing Director of Nutrien (formerly PCS Nitrogen Trinidad Limited) Ian Welch says T&T needs to build a strong social coalition to effectively respond to the problems confronting the nation.
He said so as the company, in a hand-over ceremony, contributed the sum of $492,750 to The Children’s Ark. The funding will go towards the relocation and the reconstruction of the entire surgical ward of the Princes Elizabeth Home for handicapped and challenged children.
Welch said upon completion, the new and renovated surgical ward will provide doctors with an appropriate and well equipped space to perform necessary surgeries for the children of the home, and others in need of urgent surgery.
He also thanked Dr David Toby and his colleagues, who freely give of their expertise. Welch said it was the company’s privilege to partner with The Children’s Ark “as we do our duty to give back to our people.
Indeed, we believe our success as a society is not judged by how well our affluent are doing but rather, by how we treat with those in need.”
He said, “What is abundantly clear is that our country needs to build a strong social coalition to effectively respond to the problems confronting us. No person alone can bring the change we need. It takes caring individuals, the Government, community organisations and businesses, both big and small, to come together in collaboration and partnership, to tackle the issues we face.
He said too that the company’s additional gift of a state- of- the- art medical laboratory located next to the Couva Hospital, continues to bring relief to thousands of citizens who no longer travel long distances and wait many weeks for their test results.
“One of our core values as a company is to build and grow the communities in which we operate. For those not familiar with our operations, we are a global agricultural leader, and the world’s largest producer of crop nutrients,” he added.
President of the Children’s Ark Simone de la Bastide, in accepting the donation, said the organisation was indicative of their (Nutrien’s) significant leadership and policy regarding corporate social responsibility as well as the acknowledgement and support for the overall good work done by the Children’s Ark— a non profit charitable organisation.
She said the Children’s Ark has partnered with many organisations and Government agencies on several of it’s projects over the years in an effort to fulfil its mission of improving the lives and conditions of “our marginalised children whether underprivileged, abused, abandoned, addicted or otherwise challenged.”
Some of these organisations include the T&T Prison Service, the Army Reserve, members of the corporate and civil society, Victims and Witness Support Unit under the Police Service, the Counter Trafficking Unit under the Ministry of National Security who partnered with The Children’s Ark on projects like it’s Awareness and Prevention six-month anti-child trafficking campaign for the sex, drug and labour trades in T&T.
She said at the Port-of-Spain State Prison, 14 old colonial Death Row cells were demolished by the prisoners as The Children’s Ark constructed a library within furnished and complete with the help of an individual donor in partnership with Debbie Jacobs (Wishing for Wings) and the Prison Service with fathers reading to their children vice versa.