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 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
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