Volunteerism is proving to be costly, says Reema Carmona, wife of president Anthony Carmona.
She made a plea for citizens to make greater efforts to ensure that young girls realise their potential and empower themselves.
Carmona, a patron of the Girl Guides Association of T&T (GGATT), was the feature speaker at a celebration of World Thinking Day held at the St Augustine Secondary School, Warren Street, yesterday.
She said an annual subvention of $80,000 cannot effectively run the association.
The theme this year is—Connect.
Carmona asked the gathering, “As your patron, I am reaching out to citizens from all sectors of our society, can you for one hour a week encourage a young girl to realise her potential and her ambition, can you for just one hour a week empower a young girl to build confidence and self-esteem and keep her on track?”
She urged those who were once guides to come forward and volunteer. She told them not to forget where they came from.
The GGATT, she said, has always produced women who have attained great stature in society in their adult years.
“We, therefore, need to put in much needed resources to support this organisation because genuine volunteerism is on the decline not for the want of volunteers.”
She said those at the helm of organisations like the association and also those in the trenches, often without complaint, have to pay for transportation for their charges, travelling long distances to ensure proper stewardship.
“Some troop leaders buy food and uniforms for those charges who are unable to afford same and they do it all out of a genuine love of service to our young women and the reality is that they do wear down and their numbers are diminishing.”