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UWI TODAY
– SUNDAY 7TH SEPTEMBER, 2014
THE UWI HONORARY GRADUAND:
RHONDA MAINGOT
Among our eight honorees this year is
Rhonda Maingot
, whose social
work has been exemplified in the generous services offered by the Living
Water Community. For her philanthropy, Mrs Maingot will be conferred
with an honorary DLitt at the Graduation ceremony of the Faculties of
Science and Technology and Food and Agriculture on October 22, 2014.
She shared some thoughts on what has motivated her life of giving with
UWI TODAY
editor,
Vaneisa Baksh
.
My Prayer
for the World
VB: Your life has revolved around caring for
others, was this something you wanted to
do from early?
RM:
Coming up in a family of seven sisters and
brothers and not having much money, the
onus was always on the siblings to help in
sickness, in time of need, to help around the
house. The culture in our household was one
of helping and being available. I remember my
mother and father helping other people; my
father was always helping people from work,
they would come home to see how he could
help them with their difficulties. It was put
there by my parents that this is how we should
live. After I left school and began to work I
got involved in charity work. During the polio
epidemic in Trinidad I was very involved
in our area in organising the vaccines. I got
involved with NGOs and this was even before
I had an experience of God. So I would say
the environment in which I grew up certainly
sparked something in me for caring.
VB: In your work, you must have come across
many lives scarred by drug abuse; you must
have heard many of their circumstances,
what would you say is the most common
aspect of those stories?
RM:
I was exposed to drug abuse from a very young
age because my father was an alcoholic and I
guess that was what gave me the impetus to
want to be compassionate and to help those
addicted to drugs and alcohol.
I’ve heard many, many stories, varied stories,
but one of the most common aspects is that
drug abuse has no respect for persons, for
colour, creed, status, social standing – it has
no respect for any of that. I’ve seen drug
addicts from the biggest CEOs to the smallest
people on the streets. If you have an addictive
personality and you’re high risk for using
drugs and drug abuse then you’re simply
susceptible to it.
We now know that drug abuse is a hereditary
disease and can be passed on in our families,
and more and more families have been
affected by drugs. One of the other aspects
of it is that the individuals themselves feel a
lack of appreciation for who they are. When
they take drugs, as they begin to take a drink
or a smoke, it makes them feel better about
themselves and stronger so that they are able
to relate to other people and have a discussion
– without that they feel very inhibited. I think
that’s a major thing for people who go into
drugs.
VB: How can we help such people?
RM:
When we started New Life Ministries
the first thing we did was an awareness
programme right across the country. It was
called Chemical People. At that stage nobody
wanted to even recognise that we had drugs
in our families or in our schools. We were in
great denial. I always tell people you must be
aware of the signs of addiction. It is very, very
important. Mothers and fathers and guardians
and brothers and sisters have to be aware
of the signs and be aware of the risk value
for people. So if I know that my family has
addiction in it, I know my children are going
to be at risk. I must understand that and say,
yes, and not deny it and then educate myself
about addiction and the signs of addiction.
Even from young we can say to our children
we have addiction in our family and this is
something we have to look at and this is what
it means and this is what can happen. But I
have to know it myself to be able to translate
it to my children. I find families very much
in denial about this but adults, parents,
need that education and must then pass that
information on to their children at a very
young age. When I see people giving their
children sips of wine, rum and coke, rum
punch and so on, that’s the worst thing we can
do to a child. But they don’t know that, they
have not been informed why that is not good,
so they do it. The onus is really on the adult to
inform themselves about addiction, especially
if you have addiction in the family, because
these kids are going out and facing all kinds
of things outside and you have to be able to
relate to them about that.
VB: What has been the major challenge for
an organisation like the LivingWater
Community?
RM:
If you ask any NGO what’s their major
challenge they would say finance, that’s
normal, so it goes without saying that finance
is always a problem. We see so many huge
problems and difficulties in the country and
in the people who come to us and we always
want to help in this way or that way, but to do
anything you need money.
Recently, I was talking to someone about the
great need in the country for a halfway house
or an assisted community for children who are
challenged; you can dream all these things but
everything takes money. Finding resources,
