Two stories on page 7 of Thursday’s newspaper were of the kind that inspire hope for the future. The first one was about 721 Kids Foundation in Lower Prince’s Quarter, which stepped in after Excellence Learning Academy for children with special needs closed.
This is an area where few local resources are available, as regular schools understandably have difficulty catering to these students, putting some at risk of dropping out of education altogether. Termada Shaland filled the gap and is currently accommodating 26.
The latter is not only important for parents involved, but especially the youngsters themselves, because getting out of the house, receiving lessons and guidance as well as interacting with others are very important to their development. The intention is to become a government-subsidised school and expand, which will hopefully be achieved soon so that all children who require such indeed have an adequate place of learning to attend.
The second feel-good article was Freegan Food Foundation’s announcement that a new group of 85 low-income households with 225 individuals had been selected as weekly recipients of client-choice ingredients for a healthy daily meal. It’s no secret that widespread poverty and even hunger have existed in St. Maarten already for many years, while Hurricane Irma and the COVID-19 pandemic didn’t exactly help.
There are still 71 also needy families with 175 members on a waiting list, mind you. However, at least half the total of more than 400 persons who registered for the programme could become beneficiaries.
To quote the song “Saturday in the Park” of incomparable US band Chicago: Listen children, all is not lost.
