Help pours in after fire, children to return to school Monday

FOUR children who were left homeless after a fire destroyed their Couva home on Divali night will be returning to school on Monday.

The fire destroyed their uniforms, school books, laptops, bags, shoes and more.

But with the collaborative effort from good samaritans across the country, members of the Couva /Tabaquite /Talparo Regional Corporation, Couva South MP Rudrathnath Indarsingh, the McBean Hindu Primary School and Carapichaima East Secondary School all school items are expected to be donated to the children this week.

The fire is believed to have been caused by a scratch bomb thrown by a group of children who were playing with the explosives in front of the family's Baksh Settlement, McBean, Couva home.

The children are now staying at the home of a neighbour.

Their father Jimmy Rampersad told Newsday on Thursday that he watched his life change in some seconds after the fire.

“We had a home and just like that our home was gone. I had recently renovated four bedrooms for each of my children. I had decorated it so nicely for them and painted their rooms in their favourite colours. They were so happy,”

The emotional father said he and his wife work hard to make their children comfortable at home. “We saved for years little by little until we were able to give them a bedroom of their own. And today we have to start from scratch with nothing. It really hurts me,”

Anyone wishing to help the family can call, 318-4527 or 701-8832. Couva police and firemen are investigating.