BASSETERRE – The sponsors of the 13th Annual Help A Child Programme were thanked by the St Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr Timothy Harris for partnering in an initiative which he said would positively improve the lives of others.
This year’s award programme saw 60 students from the Joshua O. Williams, Edgar T. Morris, Violet Petty and Estridge Primary Schools share $30 000 to be used to aid their studies. The awardees were selected by their respective school based on their performance in class work.
At the ceremony on Wednesday at the Estridge Moravian Church in Mansion, Harris stated that the sponsors willingly contributed because they had the vision to recognise the potential impact of their support on the children, the nation and world as a whole. “Without them the awards would not be possible,” he stated.
A number of companies and individuals were identified for their contributions.
Dr Harris said that education represents an investment in the future.
“It is the investment we make as individuals for our betterment and progression in life and it is also the investment we make in our society,” he stated. “And that is why these awards are so important. Through them we are making an investment in our nation’s future.
“When we enable someone else to learn, we enable our society to grow,” Prime Minister Harris stated. “When we have the patience to coach and nurture, we are like the farmer tending his/her crops waiting for them to withstand the elements so that they thrive and they blossom. Our children are like this. They need us to invest in them to nurture and encourage their love of education so that they can enjoy the privilege of scholarship awards … but also so that they can feel personal pride in their own achievements.”
Dr Harris encouraged the students to use the award as a stepping stone to maintain their grades and to go on to achieve loftier goals. (SKNIS)