Bog Walk residents benefit from health fair
Scores of residents of Bog Walk and surrounding communities in St Catherine recently benefitted from a health and information fair hosted by the True United Sisters (TUS) community development organisation.
The event, which was held at the Bog Walk branch of the Power of Faith, provided welcomed medical and information services to citizens, including blood sugar and pressure checks, dental examinations, and general consultations.
Addressing residents and volunteers during a brief opening ceremony, TUS founder, Karen Sudu, explained that the organisation evolved out of her desire to help unemployed and single women in Bog Walk and its environs.
Further, it was inspired by her own experience observing her mother taking care of their family with, among other things, supplementary income generated from the sale of items which she made, in the market.
“I said to myself [that], when I grew up I wanted to do something to impact the lives of children,” Sudu said, while underscoring the importance of celebrating women who do so, describing them as “the backbone of the nation …who know [how] to use a dollar and turn it into a thousand”.
TUS volunteer and member of the Power of Faith Ministry, Marlene White, expressed gratitude for the event’s staging.
“I am very happy to see the turnout and how the community has supported it. This is something [that] I think should happen from time to time in the communities. I am happy that it happened in my community and I am happy that I am a volunteer,” she stated.
Guest speaker, South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA) Regional Director Maureen Golding, encouraged women to face challenges in their lives with determination. She noted that her own life has not been easy and her journey to the leadership tier of SERHA was an uphill task.
“It was [by] no means a cakewalk; but through it all, I proved the strength a woman [by getting there],” she said
Golding, who joined the public service as a young woman working at the Kingston Public Hospital, lauded the performance and achievements of women, noting that they garnered the courage to stand against oppression and protest against varying forms of injustice, including domestic violence.
She pointed out that for women, “it is an uphill task to compete in a male-dominated society”, but cautioned men to “never underestimate the strength of a woman”.
TUS also used the occasion to honour outstanding educator, retired vice-principal of Jericho Primary School and volunteer in the organisation’s after school programme, Paulette Stephenson.
Stephenson has been an educator for 42 years, serving also as a senior teacher, National Assessment Programme (NAP) coordinator, and mathematics resources teacher for the New Horizons for Primary Schools publications.
Established in July 2005, TUS has been working in the Bog Walk community to provide well needed services to residents.
Though its back-to-school programme, the organisation provided assistance to more than 30 students to the tune of nearly $200,000 in 2015, surpassing the $142,000 provision the previous year.