Bel Air

Newsletter July 2006

B el A i r C h i l d r e n ’s H o m e , C al l i s t e , G r e n a d a , We s t I n d i e s w w w. s p i c e i s l e . c o m / b e l a i r h o m e
b e l a i r h o m e @ c a r i b s u r f . c o m Ph o n e 1 - ( 4 7 3 ) 4 4 4 - 5 1 0 0 ; F a x 1 - ( 4 7 3 ) 4 4 4 - 5 2 2 0

President’s Notes
By Paddy Ross

INSIDE THIS ISSUE In the last newsletter, I gave preliminary details about a new project
“Moving On”, which is intended to give the older adolescent girls a
1 President’s Notes smooth transition from institutional to independent living. This will
entail the acquisition of land near Bel Air, the construction of a home
1 Manager’s Matters under the guidance of a housemother that will accommodate three or
four older teenagers and four additional one bedroom homes for girls
2 Resident’s Experiences & who are no longer our legal responsibility i.e. aged eighteen or over.
Nursery Report I am pleased to say that the Board of Bel Air approved the project
3 Esther Rantzen visits us.
proposal at our last meeting and this document has now been circulated
to certain individuals and organizations as well as being posted on our
3 The Danish Student’s Story. website (www.spiceisle.com/belairhome).
So what progress if any to report? We have established that the plot of
land immediately behind Bel Air is owned by Government and have
approached Cabinet via the Minister for Social Development asking for
this land to be donated to Bel Air for the purposes of “Moving On”. If this
“…we are extremely approach is successful, then we can start to clear the site immediately
grateful to Mr. Nestor as we have already received some significant donations towards this
Abraham and his team for project from individuals and organizations. Probably the most unusual
the $TT52,000 they raised” source of funds was from the premiere of the Da Vinci Code at the Movie
Town cinemas in Trinidad.

Please see President’s Notes on page 2

Manager’s Matters
By Sharon Davis
Bel Air is proud to announce that three out of the six students who sat
the Common Entrance Exams have passed. “Now girls, this is where the
work begins.” We would like to thank all the staff and volunteers for
their time, hard work, knowledge and perseverance with the girls. We
also say thanks to Bo and Lisa, although you were students on the last leg
of your Social Education training from Denmark, we were grateful to have
you here with us for six months. You have surely left your ‘footprints’
behind for other students to follow.
See “Sailing” on page 2
 Page 2 Bel Air Newsletter

Resident’s Experiences
Easter Sailing trip

“Bel Air is proud to
announce that three out of
the six students who sat the
Common Entrance Exams
have passed”
April 12th was a hot sunny day. My friends and I went on a sailing trip up
the western coast of our island on a bright yellow catamaran, “Carib
Cats”. We went to Grand Anse Beach and went aboard the boat. We
were able to look at the bottom of the sea from the boat and saw
beautiful stones and fishes. We stopped on a little beach along the coast
and had a swim. I couldn’t keep up for long as I get sea sick when
traveling on boats. We had lunch of sandwiches and juice and then I took
a good rest. It was a very enjoyable and fun-filled trip.
By: Markidah...... Resident
Bel Air’s Achievements

Three of our adolescent girls were successful in the Common

Entrance Exams and will be starting High School in September.
Residents attending School for Special Education excelled at their
Annual Sport Meet.

Nursery Report

The nursery is doing very well and is improving day by day with the help
of our very capable staff. The nursery consists of (20) twenty children,
(12) twelve boys ages 2 to 9 and (8) eight girls ages 1 t0 8 years old. All
Please see more on page 4
President’s Notes from page 1

As one might have expected, there was a lot of publicity with regard to
this film. It is said that there is no such thing as bad publicity and we are
Sailing !!! extremely grateful to Mr. Nestor Abraham and his team for the $TT52,000
(See Markidah's description that this event raised.
on this page) We are almost half way to our financial target already but we will
remain only half way there unless people and organizations continue to
support Bel Air generously as in the past. Ever the optimist, I look forward
to our next newsletter and hopefully being able to say that we have
reached our target. Until then, please keep giving and thank you.
*****************************************
Photos of the
children
playing
'dress up'.

The staff in
the picture are
Ms. Desan
and
Ms. Erica.
 Bel Air Newsletter Page 3

Picture Gallery

Esther Rantzen ….. …..and Sharon Davis….. at.Bel Air

Some photos of Ms. Esther Rantzen, famous Television

Journalist and founder of Childline, charity phoneline, in
the UK who visited us this month. Julia Montgomery
(lady in red in the photos) organised the visit.

A Story of Two Danish

Students
We are the two Danish Social Education students, Bolette and Lisa, which have been
working at Bel Air for the last 5 months.

We have mostly been working with the adolescent girls, and also two handicapped
children, Brittney and Jamal.
We have seen big improvement with Jamal and are hoping that the next Danish
students will follow up on the work we have been doing.

It has been a great experience to meet all the children and the staff. The day is coming
when we have to go home and it is with great sorrow that we have to leave this place
and all the people in it.

We have learned a lot about the Grenadian culture and the people. There are big
differences between the institutions that we have in Denmark, compared to the
institutions on Grenada. Grenada does not have as many resources as we have in
Denmark and that in itself has been a big challenge.

Bel Air has given us ways to work with children from all kinds of backgrounds. It has
taught us to be open and willing to accept constant changes.
“. It has been some life
So many things have happened over the last 5 months and it will be very hard to say changing months for us at
goodbye, both to the children and staff. Bel Air has given us tools we can take home Bel Air and we will never
and use in the future, working with children. It has been some life changing months
forget it.”
for us at Bel Air and we will never forget it.

Bolette and Lisa

Page 4 Bel Air Newsletter

Continued from page 2

the kids are doing their very best in school. Some more “Sailing” shots

We have one very special little boy who's name is Jamal. He is

seven years old and cannot walk or should I say could not Walk,
talk, and react to sounds, touch or any human contact. But with
the help of God, staff and lots of hard work he is now walking,
Responding to touch, human contact and sounds. Our next
accomplishment would be to get him to talk, that in itself would
be another miracle.

Our next very special child would be Brittany who is now (8)
eight years old. She is also doing very well on her own. She is
sitting up by her self; she is holding her feeding cup by herself,
reaching out and takes things and lots more. Now these
accomplishments may be small or insignificant to many people,
but to us the staff and even the children they are very big
miracles from God. Being told that they would never be able to
do any of these things and now seeing them happening is so
great it is too much to put into words.

I must say thank you to the staff who work with them on a day
to day basis. We consist of (9) nine people whose names are:
Miss Desan; Miss Alica; Miss Sonia; Miss Lisa; Miss Erica; Miss
Audrey; Miss Ernestine and Miss Laurine. And my name is Miss
Alenda, with the help of God, and Management we are striving
to do a lot more in the future thank you.

By: Nursery Coordinator (PS you can come see us at any time.)

From the Deputy Manager/Educational Needs Co-ordinator

Our toddler programme is a great place for our toddlers to spend time every day. This programme
seeks to provide a variety of experiences aimed at developing the whole child. It is lively, loving and
interesting.

For the past six months we have watched our five little ones bloom, become mobile, those who didn’t
speak begin to speak in words and sentences they have developed some self-help skills as they learn to
play and interact with others in a safe and caring environment.

I love their enthusiasm and responsiveness, as we observe them work on a project, read a book, play
with their favorite toy or discover something new. The staff and I can’t hide the joy and satisfaction
we feel knowing that we are helping them develop in their early years. We are the ones to applaud
their handiwork when they accomplish something new.

They can no longer be called “babies” they are in fact ready to move to the next step of pre-school
and we are excited and equipped to take them there.
*********************************************************
Bel Air Newsletter Page 5

More Kind Benefactors

Special thanks go out to Bishop Redmon and the team from The Worship Center for the
Donation of a DVD player and a VCR player. These pieces of equipment will enable the children
educationally and for relaxation. Plus they have also committed themselves to sponsor two
children monthly. Indeed thanks go out to all the many persons and organisations that sponsor
individual children.

In the picture below Mrs. Jocelyn Sylvester-Gairy of the Grenada Board of Tourism is seen
handing over a cheque on behalf of the Northern California chapter of the Caribbean Tourism
Organisation (CTO) to our Deputy Manager, Ms. Alison Greene.

Also thanks to Mrs. Jenny Barlow and the Inner Wheel of Andover, Hampshire, UK for the
large donation of toiletries, craft equipment, quilts and toys etc. and for sponsoring our
children who passed Common Entrance.
If we do not mention you by name please do not be offended.
Thanks! Thanks! Thanks!

B e l A i r C hi l d r e n ’s H o m e , C a l l i s t e , G r e n a n d a , We s t I n d i e s w w w. s p i c ei s l e . c o m / b e l a i r h o m e
b e l a i r h o m e @ c a r i b s u r f . c o m Ph o n e 1 - ( 4 7 3 ) 4 4 4 - 5 1 0 0 ; F a x 1 - ( 4 7 3 ) 4 4 4 - 5 2 2 0