Migrant children give crown to their Miss World Trinidad and Tobago

Miss San Juan Savannah Sandy finished among the top five finalists in the Miss World TT 2022 beauty pageant, but the migrant students of the Huellitas de Amor (Little Footprints of Love) school recognised her as their winner and presented her with the symbolic crown as a token of love.

Sandy's humanitarian project in the pageant, Educating the new Generation, focused on that school, and was the winner among the participants in the competition.

She told Newsday she initially wanted to work on something with the Venezuelan community. She met an empanada vendor who has her daughter studying at the school in Santa Cruz.

“I think it's a very nice community that needs help. Normally Caribbean people also migrate to other countries, so we have a great emotional connection with them,” she said.

Sandy interacted with the schoolchildren for several days and observed the family atmosphere in which she was received.

"I hope my experience serves as an example for everyone. We must help each other and try to share with good communication and understanding, especially at this time the Venezuelans are going through a very difficult socioeconomic situation," she said.

She studies French and Spanish at the University of the West Indies (UWI). She is focused on finishing her degree and continuing to work with children and the migrant community in Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean.

Sandy attended an invitation from the school on November 25, without knowing what the activity was about. She was surprised to see the Venezuelan children had prepared an event for her that imitated the beauty pageant.

“Venezuela has won many international beauty crowns. These kids understand very well what the pageant is about and it's a great experience for me to see how they take it seriously,” Sandy said.

The children choreographed and presented Sandy with a crown they made themselves.

“I thank the school and the Venezuelan children for allowing me to learn more about them, about their social situation, their likes and needs.”

The Huellitas de Amor school is part of one of the programmes of the social organisation, Hermandad Sin Fronteras (Brotherhood Without Border).

Thairis Lopez, director of the organisation, explained in July 2019 they started a shelter programme for migrant families with children.

The idea was born as a result of the rise of Venezuelans with children who slept in the Queen's Park Savannah, Port of Spain, waiting to enter the registry carried out by the government to grant work permits.

Lopez said the objective was to help people with housing and food. Initially, they cared for eight families in a rented house located in Santa Cruz and called it "God's Refuge."

This house was abandoned, but with the help of the Living Water Community they managed to restore it.

Over time, the shelter expanded and on January 10, the Huellitas de Amor school was opened in that same place to facilitate the coexistence of the children who were already there.

Today, the school has 48 boys and girls from two-13 years old, not only from the shelter, but also from different areas of Trinidad, especially San Juan.

There are nine teachers who help children in four educational levels: preschool, basic one and two and advanced.

"Due to the lack of opportunities for migrant children to enter the local educational system, we decided to give these children a place where they can educate themselves, learn and grow as good citizens while their parents work for their families," Lopez said.

She said the goal is that these children, when their parents decide to leave or stay longer in TT, already have a level of learning to help them continue on their paths.