Children of the Joshua House and Convalescent Home to be guests of OSHAG/C

January 28, 2011
By Natasha Waldron Anthony

Carol Bagot, President OSHAG/C

Carol Bagot, President of the Organization for Social and Health Advancement in Guyana/Caribbean (OSHAG/C), and a medical mission will be heading to Guyana in April, and would take time out from their usual medical procedures at the New Amsterdam Hospital in Berbice to bring smiles to the faces of the children of the Joshua House orphanage and the Convalescent Home.

Bagot told Guyana Times International that OSHAG/C will be hosting a party for the children of the two homes. “We have a lot of toys and books left over from the Christmas holiday, so we are doing that; and then there’s another project we have in mind in Guyana, and we’re definitely thinking about…a home for HIV children,” she said.

The New York-based non-profit organization has branched out from addressing only the needs of cancer patients to now address the needs of HIV patients. “I’m hoping that it comes to fruition. We haven’t approached the government as yet. We’ll have to talk to some heads of organizations and get some approval,” Trim-Bagot said.

Dr Theophilus Lewis, Director of the Cancer Care Center

Meanwhile, this publication caught up with Dr Theophilus Lewis, Director of the Cancer Care Center at the Queens County Hospital. He has been on several missions to Guyana. Lewis has been a participant of the medical missions since 2002, and anticipates returning to Guyana.

“I think there’s a need. There’ll be a need for a while, and it’s really fulfilling when you see the smiles on the faces of the patients when you go back, especially the ones you operated on and are doing well,” Lewis said. He noted, too, that there is a growing number of organizations that are eager to partner with the mission. “There’s such a need (that) every time you go you find new opportunities to provide a service, new opportunities to make one’s life better.”

In the meantime, the organization is looking at ways to source grants so it can do more in the community here in the United States where it can assist women. Bagot said this is since “a lot of people are born here and still can’t access the care that they need, or even the resources. So we are hoping OSHAG/C can work with the entire community and help in structuring some resources that we can guide people along.”

OSHAG-C & Joshua House Head up Mission to Guyana