President visits Dharm Shala, maternity ward and attends church -for Christmas Day 2016

Georgetown: President David Granger greeted Christmas 2016 at the Christ Church Parish of the Anglican Diocese where he worshipped with other parishioners at their Christmas Eve Service, which ended just after midnight.  Later in the morning, the Head of State was joined by First Lady Mrs. Sandra Granger at the maternity ward of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC and in the afternoon attended the Dharm Shala’s annual Christmas Luncheon.

At the Dharm Shala, a home of benevolence for persons of all races and religions located in Albouystown, the Head of State joined with institution’s administration to serve food and distribute gifts to senior citizens. Delivering brief remarks, President Granger thanked Ms. Pamela and Ms. Kella Ramsaroop, the founder, the late Pandit Ramsaroop Maraj’s granddaughters, for their dedication and service over the years. He said that Christmas is an important festival that underscores the message of peace, love, goodwill and kindness to humanity.

“Right here in the Dharm Shala we see a manifestation of that message of goodwill to one another. Jesus came at a time when there was much cruelty in the world and it was Jesus, who introduced in his Gospel and his mission, that feeling of humanity and the need to deal with one another just the way God deals with us,” the President said. 

Ms. Pamela Ramsaroop, who is an Executive Member of the Board of the Dharm Shala, delivering the annual report, informed the institution is playing its role in the ‘green economy’, as it is currently part of a project name ‘Grow Your Own’.  In this regard, a greenhouse was recently constructed at the Albouystown facility. She also spoke of the extensive repairs works that were done to Dharm Shala buildings in both Georgetown and Berbice.

At the maternity ward of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), the President and First Lady distributed hampers to mothers and their new babies and gifts to the nursing staff. Up to the time of the President and First Lady’s visit, the hospital had welcomed five Christmas day births. The First Couple stopped to admire each infant in the ward and spoke to each mother in the ward, who proudly shared this special moment of their lives. 

The Head of State also distributed coins to the patients, some bearing the Coat of Arms and the Presidential Coat of Arms and others bearing the 50^th Independence Anniversary commemoration logo as the jubilee year draws closer to an end.