BRIDGE OF HOPE
A sanctuary for orphaned, abandoned and abused children born from a businessman’s desire to give back to his community

Businessmen must have a responsibility to their community and country.” This is the plea of Subesh Ramjattan, pioneer of Bridge of Hope, home for children. He says, “A nation will not be judged by the quality of its buildings, but by how its people treat each other.” Ramjattan was born in Sangre Grande, Trinidad, and had a “feel” for his community. He always had a heart for the underprivileged as he came from a poor family. Ironically, while growing up, he had no idea that he was poor. He left home at the age of 16 with $5 from his father and an intense passion to own his own business. At that time he felt that his dad could no longer do much for him. He worked as a stock keeper at a Port-of-Spain shoe store, and later with the Neal and Massy group. His father’s values were passed on to him as he learnt quickly and wanted to ‘add value’ to any business that he passed through. On October 16th 1974, he started his own company, ‘House of Marketing Ltd.’, as a one person project that progressed into 60 people. He claims that his secret to being a successful businessman is that he is a ‘people person’, and is committed to building relationships and trust. Later, he started three successful businesses in the United States.

Ramjattan used his material advancement to actively assist various non-profit organizations, but he never felt, in his heart, that he was ‘adding value’. Bridge of Hope was born in 1998 out of a genuine desire to give back to the community. It has developed, since its inception, into a haven for abandoned, orphaned and abused children. Caretakers and cooks on staff cater to the children’s needs, but simply providing food and shelter was not enough: Ramjattan has developed the institution into a holistic healing center. His insistence on ‘not to live by giving handouts’ but by ‘teaching to fish’ has resulted in montessori, computer and cosmetology schools on the compound (also opened to the wider community), as well as education funds for the children of the home. But, academics aside, spirituality plays a major role in grounding the home as there is a strong sense of awareness and trust in God. The children are encouraged to develop academically, spiritually and psychologically. Psychologists volunteer their time, and each child has set goals and a chartered developmental pathway. But with such vision, there are plans on the way for further expansion of the home and the construction of sporting grounds.

Due to its success, Dr. Geeta Khoda of Pennsylvania is using the Bridge of Hope model for a project to develop acres of unused land in India for the benefit of children. But Ramjattan is still not contented, and continues to give more to his community. Every week he visits other children’s homes and is always searching for talented minds that he could help to mould. He has since partnered with Mr. Clive Pantin, CEO of FEEL (Foundation for the Enhancement and Enrichment of Life), with an objective to become a voice for the homeless and orphaned children in the community.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Many of us want to give back to our communities; and we love children. When we see a neglected child we often feel sadness and a genuine desire to help. The following are suggested ways in which we can involve ourselves with the children’s home closest to us, to help improve the children’s quality of life:

1. Spend time baking cookies or drawing
2. Offer to prepare a meal for the children
3. Initiate craft projects such as jewelry or card making
4. Get legos donated and have a lego party
5. Volunteer for reading time
6. Assist with homework or after school classes
7. Sponsor a stylist to work with the girls on hair and make-up
8. Be a friend
9. Donate toiletry supplies every month
10. Initiate an exercise class
11. Volunteer with a responsible group to take children to the movies
12. Take the children on an educational tour
13. Invest in an education fund for a child
14. Purchase interesting books to add to the home’s library
15. Initiate and sponsor extracurricular activities