My son really needs help, but Welfare Department giving me the turnaround

Tue Oct 22, 2013

Editor: It has been seven years since my child’s father was brutally murdered, but what I’m really trying to say is that I have been getting the turnaround and merry-go- round, up and down and all over from the people who are supposed to help me to get my child’s name on the welfare programme.{{more}}

It has been seven years; I have done all I could, for what? Nothing so far. I have been told by the chairman of the Board of Directors in Central Kingstown that for seven years, no name has been put on the list, which is a total lie. Reverend Samuel was working at the welfare; he personally went to my son’s school and asked the teachers if there were any children in the school who needed help and the teachers said yes, giving him my child’s name. He told the teacher to let the child’s mother come to him at the welfare department. For a year and some I have been going to him, carrying all my documents and he “misplaced” them on three different occasions. I had to take back out a death certificate that cost me $45 and never got back a dollar. He told me even if he has to bring the sun out of the sky to help me, he would.

After all the ups and downs and long wait, still nothing. He moved and my document was never recovered up to this present time. I felt like giving up, but that did not stop me from giving up. I was on the streets many nights, waiting on one of the board members to hear my cry; yes, he did listen; he gave me forms to fill out. But you know what? He never did anything to help when I left there. I was forgotten about, but heard that the Board meets every month to discuss matters, and for seven years, my case has never come to light. But I must say thank you, Bernard Morgan, for the help that you had given for the time that you were Cabinet Secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office. I must say a round of applause to you. But for the others in the welfare department who are not doing their job, I also applaud you. There are very many needy children out there like my son, who are in need of help and not getting any. The social workers, they need to go out and do their jobs. See how those children are living, go at the schools and find out how they are performing academically, their attendance and their attire.

I wish things can get better for me; it really is a tough struggle and to you Mr Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, you promised to help, but all I got was the go around from everyone. I applaud you all for your jobs – not well done.

Shannell Pompey