Demerara distillers limited (ddl), in keeping with its commitment to the educational development of guyanese youth, founded a charity - the ddl foundation in 2010.
The Foundation’s main objective is to assist in the advancement of the education of secondary school students by underwriting the costs associated with going to school and to also provide mentoring to guide students.
The Foundation was formed by the DDL Board in recognition of the strong need in society where many young students with excellent grades were not attending school because of financial restrictions.
Students whose results are among the top two percentile of the marks attained at the National Grade Six Examination, and for one reason or another are unable to financially attend their secured schools, are the main beneficiaries of the Foundation’s scholarships.
The Foundation covers the full cost of attending school including but not limited to transportation to and from school, textbooks, uniforms, school shoes, school bags, physical education wear, and stationery. The Foundation also pays the Caribbean Secondary Examination Certificate examination fees for its students and with any other related forms of assistance as may be required during this period.
Scholarship awardees also benefit from a Mentorship Programme. The DDL Foundation is cognizant of the fact that students join the Foundation at a critical time in their development - the transition from childhood into adolescence, and would therefore require much more than financial assistance. The DDL Foundation has over the years tried to aid this transition through its Mentorship Programme. Currently, volunteers from the DDL management staff comprise the team of mentors.
Mentor/Mentee interaction is governed by a “Guide for Mentors”, created by the Board of Directors of the Foundation. The Mentorship programme provides a framework within which each child can be monitored and given individual attention. The Foundation currently provides scholarships to 26 students.
The Foundation benefits from a strong partnership with DDL employees who assist in several ways including fundraising and mentoring. Some employees also make contributions from their salaries.
Funding for the Foundation comes from contributions from DDL, as well fund raising, employee contributions and donations from other business partners.
Persons wishing to donate to the Foundation can contact
Applications for the Foundation are considered once per year following the release of the National Grade Six examination results. To apply, parents are asked to submit an application form, accompanied by a letter written by the child and his/her NGSE results slip. The applications are thoroughly vetted by the selection committee of the Foundation.
The DDL Foundation was registered on July 27, 2010, as a Specially Authorized Society under the Friendly Societies Act, Chapter 36:04. The Foundation is managed independently by a Board of Directors headed by Harryram Parmesar, Chairman; Rudolph Collins, Director; Sharon Sue Hang-Baksh, Secretary; Vasudeo Singh, Treasurer; Sharda Veeren-Chand, Director; Sylvia Conway, Director.
{/modal}
