Ansa McAL Foundation provides $800,000 in grants

At-risk youth who live along the Old Train Line, Marabella are among those to benefit from almost $840,000 in grants from the Ansa McAL Foundation.

Twenty-four local and regional charities on Tuesday received a combined sum of $839,678 from the foundation during a disbursement ceremony at the TATIL Building, Maraval Road, Port of Spain. Recipients include the Trinidad Theatre Workshop, the Coalition Against Domestic Violence, the University of Guyana, the University of the West Indies and several local churches.

Pastor at The Key of David International church in Plaisance Park, Pointe-a-Pierre, Mwale Henry said the money would be used to help at-risk youth.

“We run a programme called, Rich Before 30: Reclaiming Independence, Creating Hope. It provides long-term support to more than 80 young men as they face major life choices. We reach out to them at an early age – boys in at-risk communities from the train line in St Margaret’s, all along the coastline, to Marabella. We help them with home work, we do counselling, provide career advice. It’s a 15-year programme,” Henry said.

Newsday also spoke with Henry’s wife and fellow pastor, Chantel. She said after finding out about the foundation on Facebook, they did some research before submitting their application for funding a few months ago.

“We were so excited when we found we were getting a grant because it’s amazing to have someone believe in your vision. We are on the grassroots level, just trying to make a difference. So having an organisation wanting to support what we’re doing, it means a tremendous amount. We’re really grateful,” Chantel told Newsday.

Cooking classes for young people in Boissiere Village, Maraval is how Pastor David Bhagwandeen of The New Testament Church of God intends to spend the money he received yesterday.

“This is our first time getting assistance from the ANSA McAL Foundation. We wrote a letter in August and surprisingly, last week I got a phone call asking me to come to a meeting here (TATIL Building) today. I didn’t know we would be getting a grant, so I was excited and surprised when I found out.”

“The money will be used to buy a 12 cubic foot fridge which we intend to use for cooking classes in the church for the youths in our community and for the Sunday School ministry,” Bhagwandeen said. Newsday also spoke with Ann Marcia Samm, administrator of the Guardian Neediest Cases Fund.

“We focus on assisting needy people, whether it’s with school books, health care and disaster recovery among other things. Every cent we get from the public goes towards that. Although we’ve gotten grants from the foundation for the past five years, I was a bit surprised that we got this year because, in general, we haven’t gotten as many donations as we’re accustomed to getting,” Samm shared.

The ANSA McAL Foundation has been in existence since 1993. It is chaired by A Norman Sabga, Executive Chairman of the ANSA McAL Group of Companies. Foundation members include Judy Chang, Ravindra Nath Maharaj, Diana Mahabir Wyatt, Father Ronald Mendes CSSp, Victor Mouttet, Linda Sabga Hadeed and Nabeel Hadeed.