Some members of the Sagicor team recently volunteered to spend some time with the children at the Victoria School for Special Education.
While there, in addition to leading storytime and a musical moment, they also delivered several bins of stationery supplies which will assist the school to continue to meet the needs of the students who attend classes there. The Sagicor team visited the school and made its donation in anticipation of World Autism Awareness Day which is observed on Friday, 2 April.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has stated that one in 160 children has an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The disorder, which can begin in childhood and persist into adolescence and adulthood can impact in different ways. While some people with ASD can live independently, others have severe disabilities and require life-long care and support. Educational opportunities such as those offered by the Victoria School for Special Education are critical to provide the chance for these children to be able to live full lives with the possibility of independence, employment, and the full richness of social interaction.
Boca Bethel, Branch Manager for Sagicor Life (Eastern Caribbean) Inc., (SLECI) in Grenada said, “The Victoria School for Special Education provides a critical service for the people of Grenada, and we realised that the pandemic has made it really difficult to ensure that our children with autism and other learning disabilities have access to the full range of educational opportunities that are normally available. We took this as a moment to provide them with a break from the regular school day stuff, but we also made the donation to ensure that they had everything they needed to continue in school.”
The school which serves the needs of 43 students between the ages of six and 18 with various forms of physical, mental, and academic challenges, is funded by the Government of Grenada. However, school administration supplements government support with fundraising initiatives organised by the Parent Teachers Association and support from the business community and other supporting institutions.
Sagicor
