Foster care plan accessible to all Guyanese

— Minister Persaud says, encourages persons to climb on board

THE Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr. Vindhya Persaud has announced a plan to make fostering a child accessible to every Guyanese who wants to do so, regardless of background or circumstance.

The was disclosed on Friday, following the graduation of 1,000 police ranks as part of the COPSQUAD initiative.

The law enforcement ranks were equipped with knowledge on how to handle domestic and gender-based violence cases effectively.

Minister Persaud urged the graduates to treat each case with the seriousness it deserves and do the kind of things that will ultimately lead to peace in the country.

Also present for the event held at the National Cultural Centre was Minister of Home Affairs, Robenson Benn, Acting Commissioner of Police, Clifton Hicken, UN Resident Coordinator, Yesim Oruc and other senior officers within the Guyana Police Force.

To date, approximately 1500 officers have been trained under this initiative and will be stationed in all 10 administrative regions.

According to Minister Persaud, the children in foster care programmes remain with their foster parents, hoping to be adopted, while some stay with foster parents until adulthood.

She added that they strengthen the bond between children and their foster parents.

“So, we learned that they enjoyed the last thing that we did, which was going to the movies and having that time of bonding and also entertainment, together. So, we’re planning a movie exercise for the foster parents and their charges,” she said.

The Minister continued: “We’re also looking at how we can give tokens of recog- nition to the foster parents. And we’re looking at how we can have more public awareness in this initiative; So they will not only be PSAs, but there will be a number of bumper stickers and a number of other ways that we will try to get the message out, so that more and more persons would come on board with the foster care programme.”

Minister Persaud noted further that persons are encouraged to visit the childcare and protection agency if they are interested in being foster parents, to learn more about what they’re required to have in order to be one.

“That foster parent will not always realise how important their intervention is in the life of a child, but it makes a complete difference to a child, to be in a loving home, versus an institution.”

She thanked the foster care parents around the country for continuing their roles in the lives of their foster child/ children.

The month of May is Foster Care Month and for more information, contact can be made to the Foster Care department on: 231 - 8423/ 592 227 - 4082 or via email fostercare.cpa@ gmail.com.

Miriam Andrew Mings ...

From page 11

Minister of Amerindian Affairs, the permanent secretary, and all the staff members within the ministry. I also have a scope that is specifically related to the Amerindian Act and all village matters because we are the People's Ministry. I try to advise and support anyone who comes through my door because it is who I am, my door is always open."

MOTHERHOOD

Miriam, while in law school, became engaged to her husband, Samuel Ming, and eventually got married. Despite her academic accomplishments, Miriam finds being a mother to be the most fulfilling aspect of her life.

According to her, "I have two nephews, and I always said that they made me feel like a mom, and they have a special place in my heart; they are my first babies, but to have my own little girl and to have gone through that experience is special. I got pregnant during the pandemic, so I had a very intimate pregnancy, and it was scary to have gone through it, especially during those times since it wasn’t conventional labour. It was just me and my husband, but even though I wanted to have a natural birth so badly, that wasn’t the case. Due to medical reasons, I had to have a caesarean (C-section). I struggled a little bit with it, but it was all worth it because at the end of the day I had this beautiful baby girl that I get to call my own, and she is my best friend."

Miriam said that her daughter Samiya had been a "huge driving force" in her life, making her want to do more. "I want to show her by example that the world is so wide and she can accomplish anything that she puts her mind to, just as my mom did for me. Like every mother, my hope is for our kids to do more than we did. I want to make the world a better place for her and other children as well."

Miriam has managed to balance motherhood, work, and family life while also opening a family-oriented and safe space for children called Peenie Bear's

GymBearie school. This was a shared idea between Miriam and her sister, providing children with a place to be themselves.

"As parents and as moms, we understand the struggles that we are faced with, and we wanted to allow other moms to have a safe place to leave their kids so that they can run their errands or just have a moment for themselves sometimes," Mariam said.

Miriam took the opportunity to extend heartfelt gratitude to her family and friends who played an integral role in her success, and she made special mention of her late father-in-law, who, as she related, loved her and was proud of her and her success.

She also extended a happy Mother’s Day greeting to all the mothers across the nation and added, "I want to say to my mom that one of my greatest blessings is that I get to call you mommy, and I love you so much. I want you to know that I completely understand motherhood now because of you, and I am grateful for that."