This in turn causes flooding and landslides, the Grande Riviere and Matelot disaster being the latest.

Many families were cut off from the rest of Trinidad.

Trinidad is yet to be really tested to see if we are prepared for a devastating earthquake or category four or five hurricane. We are fortunate so far to only have to deal with the regular flooding and occasional landslides.

While we should be grateful for this we must also be wise and see what is happening elsewhere, even right in the Caribbean. We need to be aware of the effects that climate change is having on the lives of many.

With this in mind I ask the ODPM: are you taking into consideration the drastic change in the weather pattern in TT ? Have your plan been updated to deal with this? If not, you need to do something about this urgently or we can be caught napping. We can never be over prepared. I believe prevention is always better than cure.

Let us have all systems in place.

ARNOLD GOPEESINGH via email

When you feel ill or have a health concern, most people trust doctors at our nation’s hospitals to address it and help. However, 38-year-old Keella Gift learned the hard way that doctors are not infallible and now she has absolutely no confidence in the public health system.

Gift’s story started about two years ago. As one of those persons who was always involved in breast cancer awareness, Gift regularly performed self-examinations. It was during one such examination that she discovered a small lump in her left breast.

She visited several health centres and, after some time, she was eventually forwarded to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex in Mount Hope. However, when she eventually saw a doctor, instead of taking her concern seriously, she was told that since she was under 40, it was not breast cancer but a lump caused by high estrogen levels.

“When I finally got to see the doctor, he upset me. He did not even examine me. He treated me as though I was worried for nothing.

He was insensitive. As a doctor he should have been more concerned, especially since cancer is one of the leading killers of women in the world,” she said.

However, some months after, she realised the lump had grown larger.

She therefore returned to the Mt Hope facility and requested an ultrasound. “I begged. I told them I had no money to go and do this privately, if they could please send me to do a test to make sure the lump was not cancerous. After all that, they gave me an appointment for six months later,” she recalled.

As the months passed, Gift felt a severe pain in her chest. It became so bad that she thought she was having a heart attack, and had to be taken to the hospital. They took X-rays and blood tests and realised that the lump had grown to half the size of her breast. She was prescribed painkillers and an ultrasound appointment for one month later.

On the day of her appointment, she went to the hospital, took a number and waited patiently for three hours. When her number was called however, she was told that the technician had already left for the day.

Upset and worried, Gift told some of her friends about her experience and they helped her to schedule an ultrasound appointment at the Scarborough General Hospital in Tobago for a few weeks later.

After seeing the results, Scarborough Hospital referred her to the National Radiotherapy Centre in St James. A few weeks later, a biopsy on the lump was performed. However it was another two and a halfmonths before she got the results of her biopsy because of a clerical error.

On August 10, 2016, she was diagnosed with Stage Two breast cancer.

She said even when she was diagnosed, her experience was not pleasant. “When they first told me I had cancer the doctor was like, ‘So you know you have cancer right? You know they have to cut off your breast right?’ He was there on his cell phone the whole time. While attending to me he was on What’s App,” she said angrily.

“From the time I found the lump to the time I was diagnosed, it was almost two years. Being a person who was always aware, and who took the necessary precautions, I was really upset to have to go through that. I just think doctors should be more sensitive to women’s health. Because of that I have no confidence in the public health system. I detected it early and if they had taken me seriously they could have done a quick surgery and got it out. I would not have to go through all of this,” she said.

Gift noted that after her diagnosis, she had to undergo numerous tests on her blood and heart, as well as CT scans to determine if the cancer had spread. Thankfully, it did not. However the doctors told her she needed to undergo surgery but they needed the lump to shrink before they did so.

However, after researching cancer treatments, Gift decided against chemotherapy. She now attends a private clinic where she undergoes alternative treatments to shrink the tumour.

She added that although she had only good things to say about the doctors and nurses at the Scarborough Oncology Centre, and mostly positive experiences at the National Radiotherapy Centre, months of irresponsibility, waiting, pain, weakness, and weight loss cemented her determination to take care of her health privately.

“If I had depended on the public health system, you might never have met me. You might have been going to my funeral because with cancer, a delay of one month can have some serious repercussions,” she said. “I take responsibility for not going for a second opinion privately. I didn’t have the money to go but I should have borrowed it, or raised funds like I do now. I want other women to go and get a second opinion. If I had done that I wouldn’t have been this far gone.

And yet, I thank God it’s just Stage Two. Every time I think about it I get upset. It brings on a rage in me.

But I have my daughter to live for, I have my career, and I have to focus on fighting for my life,” she concluded

This was reported in an online statement by Fr Dexter Brereton CSSp (Congregation of the Holy Ghost Fathers, Spiritans), moderator of the Arouca/Maloney Cluster.

Last Sunday, November 27, at the 6 pm service at Holy Trinity which was led by Eucharistic Minister Lloyd Theodore, a man grabbed the collection plate which was being carried to the offertory and escaped with it. A number of parishioners had challenged the man but he pulled out what appeared to be a gun.

Brereton in his statement urged parishioners to remember that most people in the wider Arouca community were decent and law-abiding and meant them no harm.

“I fully understand that a number of you who may have attended this service would have found this turn of events very disturbing and about this I am very deeply sorry,” he said.

He reported that the parish will be seeking “expert help and advice” to improve implementation of increased security measures using technology and “internal arrangements” will also be improved.

The statement had also said changes may have to be made to arrangements at Arouca and people may be asked to fill new roles. Parishioners were asked to keep the parish in their prayers and Brereton offered assistance to anyone experiencing lingering anxiety over the incident.

In an interview with Catholic News, Brereton reported that the robber was a stranger who had attended a Mass the week prior to the robbery.

“When you have these crimes we can’t allow them to make us sour. The final and deepest freedom we have is the freedom to refuse to be shaped by the evil that befalls us,” he said.

Brereton said the incident could be “a moment of grace” for the community and the church and added that it was important for Catholics not to live in a “bubble”.

“We live in a difficult age. The Kingdom of God comes through striving and struggles; with criminality and darkness around us…

we have to strive for what we believe in,” he urged.

Brereton thanked WPC Mohammed and her team for their “assiduous work following up on the report”.

Also in the article parishioner Paul Chow, whose sons were assisting with the collection when the robbery occurred, said Catholics need to be more alert and vigilant though they could not prevent crime from happening. He described the incident as a “wake up for the church to do what we are supposed to be doing – praying, getting together as community”.

Chow had also said he was touched with how the parish community had pulled together.

Chow said his family would pray for the perpetrator and continue to reach out and try to help others. He also said that despite the incident he would continue to serve and take his family to church.

According to reports the officer, who has not been named and was before the courts on a robbery charge, was arrested on Thursday after allegedly attempting to rob an individual who had withdrawn money from a bank.

Richards, speaking to Sunday Newsday yesterday, said there are rogue elements in every institution in Trinidad and Tobago and the Prison Service was no different.

“(And) we are committed to getting rid of them,” he stressed.

Richards advised all prison workers to stay on the right path and stay on the right side of law. He said they work for a “decent salary” though some tend to live above their means and this could be responsible for the person in question allegedly “going rogue”.

“I advise officers to stay on the right side of law, live within your means and be productive and responsible,” he added. He said the Prison Service exists to fulfil a mandate for the public and to ensure citizens are safe.

“I am hoping all prison officers who want to go rogue will think again,” he added.

Richards pointed out that the vast majority are hard working officers who are on right track and on the right side of law and promote the positive interests of the State. He encouraged these officers to continue staying on that track and “everything go be okay”. Returning to the prison officer being arrested Richards said when things like this happen it is a bad reflection on the service.

He added, however, that he believes the Prison Service is “resilient and strong” and they will not allow rogue elements and people who want to do wrong things to deter them from their overall objective. He also took the opportunity to pay tribute to all the hard-working officers and urged them to continue doing so.

“Do not let rogue or negative elements deter you from going forward,” he added.

Farrier was in a joyous mood following his victory and is looking forward to implementing his plans over the next four years.

“I’m very elated to know that the membership has confidence in me and the work we have been doing in the past and they would like me to continue doing this work for cycling. We have a lot of plans. We actually going to continue our strategic planning; we have two professionals that are assisting us with that. We are going to continue with that and do a lot of benchmarking with the developed countries in cycling so we can bring our talent up to that level,” he said.

Farrier continued: “We really want to improve in our communication with the education of the sport at all levels in the fraternity.

We have a selection policy that we need to be reviewing and we want to interact and collaborate with a lot of the experienced riders to get them involved in helping us make some of the decisions.” And with just one rider, Njisane Phillip, representing this country at the last two Olympic Games, Farrier said the TTCF is keen to improve considerably on that number at the next Olympic Games.

“Our plan is to have a full team in Tokyo 2020. We definitely looking to have a full team sprint and in the endurance aspect. We are seeking some collaboration with riders such as Gene Samuel and Ashton Williams and Robert Farrell, those guys that would have spent a lot of time in the sport to give advice to the Executive on how we should go forward.” He noted that the newly opened National Cycling Velodrome will play a big part in their plans and says his organisation will be making maximum use of the facilities.

“We already have a full utilisation plan that we presented to the Sport Company. It’s very detailed,” he explained.

Other members of the Executive elected include Joseph Roberts (vice president of racing), Gary Acosta (racing secretary), Jacqueline Corbin (general secretary), Betty-Ann Daniel (assistant general secretary), Janelle Celestine (treasurer), David Francis (assistant racing secretary), Ian Cole (vice president of finance) and Joseph Lester Baptiste (vice president of discipline).

‘Pres’ booked their place in the title match yesterday with a 5-3 victory on penalty kicks over Signal Hill at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium, Marabella.

Presentation College were perfect in their five kicks while Jabari Francis pulled his shot wide of the left post on Signal Hill’s fourth kick, opening the door for Omari Baird to seal the victory for ‘Pres’.

Earlier, Presentation College went ahead from a powerful header from Matthew Joseph off an inswinging Jordan Riley corner in the 80th minute.

But Signall Hill responded immediately on a counter-attack to send the match into penalty kicks.

Renaldo Samuel had the simple task of tapping the ball in from six yards after the Presentation goalie spilled a vicious shot in front his goal.

Joseph almost headed tin the winner in the 90th minute but his effort was cleared off the line.

San Juan advanced to the final with a 4-1 rout of Trinity College on Wednesday courtesy a beaver-trick from Renaldo Boyce despite playing the majority of the contest with 10 men. They will also be without their skipper Lukeman Brooks who picked up a red card in that game.

The game was the first of back-toback matches on the day, with Defence Force edging Ma Pau Stars 1-0 in the First Citizens Cup at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo.

Winger Nathan Lewis, back in the fray after recovering from a gunshot wound to his shoulder in September, gave Jabloteh a 31st minute lead but forward Jem Gordon levelled the scores in the 76th.

Captain and utility player Darren Mitchell found the back of the net in the 89th to give Central FC the win, and pushed their points tally to 25 after nine games, six more than W Connection (who have a game in hand) while Jabloteh are third on 16.

As a result, Central FC were the recipients of the Rawle Fletcher Trophy after topping the table after Round One.

League action will continue today with Club Sando opposing St Ann’s Rangers from 3.30 pm at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium in Marabella while Morvant Caledonia United will be facing Police at the Hasely Crawford Stadium from 6 pm.

“You know as a child, you’re playing around, you don’t have TV. We were very poor so our entertainment was singing,” Crichlow said during his interview with Sunday Newsday.

Crichlow grew up in Morvant and poverty was not his only challenge. Daily, he and his siblings endured physical abuse at the hands of their father. They also endured watching him hit their mother. He recalled that his father used to smoke marijuana, yelled at them a lot and often told them that “he is not human.” He relayed, “When he screamed at us for nothing, most of the time, she used to tell him, ‘You can’t beat the children like that!’ He used to just jump on her and hit her. I remember the days when my clothes used to cling to my back because of the cuts from the whip and all those things. That’s what I went through.” Back then, Crichlow’s mother kept him and his siblings from school and church for months.

As a result, he did not have the opportunity to attend college as he would have liked to do.

“I was 19 when she left him. There were times when we lived with our grandmother; there were times when we were home. There were times we had no food. We used to have to beg for money for groceries. There was a time when we lived in the orphanage because he (Crichlow’s father) abused my brother so that the court was afraid to send us back home. So that was my life.” Today, however, Psalmist David Crichlow, as he’s known in the gospel world, is making waves not only on the local scene, but internationally as a music ambassador for God.

During the interview, he was very vocal about his love and passion for God, who he credits with helping him to overcome his painful past and with his success as a music artiste.

In 2003, he began his professional singing career as part of a South music group called the “Mission Epistle.” After about two years of singing with the Epistles, around 2005, he joined another music group by the name of “In One Accord.”

Nonetheless, after just over a couple of years of singing with that group, he felt it was time to launch out on his own.

Therefore, following the leading of God, as he put it, he wrote and released his first single in 2006, “As Long as I have You Lord” which earned him a COTT (Copyright Organisation Trinidad and Tobago) Music Award nomination that year in the category of the Top Three Songs.

His second release, also in 2006, was entitled, “Hold Your Peace Child.” Crichlow released several other songs that year.

However, after 2006, his next music release came in 2014.

When asked about that eight-year gap between producing his music, he admitted that money was the issue. “I’m glad you asked,” he responded.

“Music is very expensive, so my break is because of lack of finance. My heart’s desire is that somebody will sponsor me, that I’ll get some sponsors…

I have a whole lot of songs. It’s just the money to produce it that I don’t have. That’s why there’s a gap. So sometimes I will sing, I’ll sell CDs and then I’ll gather the money, and then I’ll go and do a new song. Then the journey will go on again. I’ll put that song on CD, then I’ll sell CDs again, gather money and do a new song and that’s how it has been. That’s why there’s been a delay.” In 2014 he released “Jesus I love You” and his latest, released this year is “Standing for Jesus.” Notably, “Standing for Jesus” is now being played in the United Kingdom. Crichlow posted the song to his Facebook profile, and a British DJ, who goes by the sobriquet “DJ Righteous” heard it, and in-boxed him to ask if he could use it.

The song was emailed to him and it debuted on November 13, on 101.5fm.

Crichlow has performed at several gospel events over the years since breaking into the gospel music arena. The most recent was Pure Worship 3 on October 28, at Pinto Road, Arima. He preached at that event and sang as well. He has recently returned from Guyana where he ministered in song and word. He has also performed at several political functions.

He has also just released his own line of printed T-shirts which read, “Standing for Jesus” to help fund his music career.

“I remember years ago, God said, ‘David I’m going to raise you up as an international gospel singer. And back then, when he said that to me, I had no songs, I didn’t have a name out there, but only now, the promises of God are coming to pass. God doesn’t lie.

I actually preached my first message this year…,” Crichlow said in closing, as he reflected on his success, success that seemed impossible years go.

Crichlow can be contacted at 293-7698.

“My intention is to take away from the students as much as they take away from me during one of my speeches. It’s not intended to be one way where the audience is listening to me, but a discussion, a conversation where we can all be able to learn something from the experience.

It’s a journey.” And what a journey it has been indeed.

Nalini, who was raised by her grandmother in modest beginnings at the family’s home in Central Trinidad, developed an interest in art from an early, but was forced to postpone her interests due to discouragement from a close relative, which resulted in her taking an 11-year hiatus from painting.

“Listening to others’ negativity was one of the worst things that I could have done. But I was ultimately grateful for it, because it allowed me to see who was prepared to support my passion.” Much like her paintings, Nalini’s speeches go beyond the superficial. If her use of bright colours and silhouettes lend something to her art work, then her sincerity and earnestness has helped mould her skill as an orator.

Today, Nalini is speaking before a group of students from Reno’s Educational Institute in Chaguanas. She was invited by the National Library Information Services (NALIS), to deliver one of her speeches. Silence falls over the room as the teacher introduces her, most of the students wear confused and tired expressions as she gets on stage. Unlike most other orators, the subject of the speech is not fixed but can take on a variety of different topics from school, relationships and family life.

“I’ve had to work at several different jobs that I wasn’t very pleased with, namely on my grandmother’s farm. It was a lot of hard dirty work, but like every other experience I was happy for it. It was one of those moments in life that I knew would pass, I’m nowhere near being finished but I’m satisfied with the direction in which I’m going.” Her unique blend of language with colourful analogies and sharp Trini wit, have won her the attention and the admiration of both student and teacher alike, and before long the silent room comes alive with discussion and laughter.

This is no surprise, as Nalini has made a living getting students involved, having served as a Mathematics and Visual Arts teacher for the past six years.

She is no stranger to the workings of youngsters and she demonstrates the same subtle charm and order with these students as she would her own.

As Nalini opens the floor for questions, hands go up almost immediately. A young man in the front row, asks, “What advice would you give to someone who has a passion for like music or painting, but also has to focus on studying for CAPE.” She takes some time to process an answer before responding, but finally says, “Exams are definitely important.

Your education is important and I won’t say otherwise. I spent nine years of my life trying to earn a degree that I could have gotten in three years instead. A lot of persons have asked me, ‘Why didn’t you just give up?’, I never understood that question, ‘Why should I give up?’ Once I knew that I could do something I would never be okay with giving up. You shouldn’t spend nine years doing a degree, but you should always keep your ambitions fresh. Don’t let it fade.

In life there will always be responsibilities. A lot of people wait until they finish school to follow their dreams, then they wait until they finish working, then they wait until their children move out of the house and then before you know it, you’re 80-years-old waiting in line at the bank to change your pension cheque and wondering where the years went.

Don’t wait.” It was an unexpected answer, which left both the teacher and his students silent. The student who asks his question looks at his friend and smiles wanly.

Reno Singh, owner and founder of Reno’s Educational Institute, has had over 20 years’ experience as an educator and was captivated by Nalini’s effective yet unorthodox style of motivation. “It truly was amazing. And it’s important for young people to be exposed to this kind of positive thinking.

All too often we show them the finished product, the goal once it has been accomplished, but it’s important for them to appreciate the hard work, the process that it took to reach that success. I don’t understand how she does it.” All one has to do is look at the audience to understand. The listeners, mainly teens are engaged in her discussion. She asks probing questions to her audience and encourages their input. One student meekly raises his hand, he’s slowly but gradually encouraged by his peers.

“Why are you so interested in art?” Nalini returns his curious stare and a smile begins to form across her lips. “Because it’s life.

It’s everything around us that makes you, you and me, me. It’s all of us.”

Founded by Trinidadian-born Glenda Hills with its headquarters in Uniondale, New York, Millennium Sistahs Inc, the TT chapter (MST&T) is a human service organisation with a mission to enhance the lives of mainly women in professional growth, through mentoring services, facilitation of cultural expressions and improved health and well being. Among its many community-building and awareness-raising activities, MST&T produces a children’s carnival band, mounts national health fairs, provides food hampers to those in need, and distributes schoolbooks and school supplies to students as well as the distribution of adult’s and children’s clothing. They have also been engaged in adult education, providing self-enhancement services to women, family life education, and sexuality awareness.

Apart from MST&T’s inaugural AIDS Walk this year, the organisation has coordinated the International AIDS Candlelight Memorial for the past nine years; held on the third Sunday in May, the candlelight memorial is marked in both Tunapuna and Port-of-Spain in homage to persons who have died of AIDS.

President of the TT chapter of Millennium Sistahs and one of the forces behind MST&T’s initiatives, Jacquie Burgess, describes herself as a feminist, activist, social and community worker who has been involved in the Women’s Movement for over 35 years. “Doing work in communities helped me realise the extent to which the ills in society affected families,” she says of what drove her into the sphere of advocacy. “I felt I could have contributed, no matter how small, to ease the plight of some.” She points out that World AIDS Day is just one of the commemorative days within the 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence (GBV). During this time, all are welcome to pay special attention to the ways in which GBV impacts communities and individuals alike and move forward with solutions in mind. “This year [in commemoration of World AIDS Day], we decided to do the AIDS Walk which was supposed to be a fundraiser but the necessary sponsorship did not materialize. Nonetheless, we thought we should do it anyway,” Jacquie shares of MST&T’s determination to spread awareness of and support for persons living with HIV/AIDS. She adds that the organisation hopes to host the Walk annually.

“The general public [was] invited and encouraged to attend in solidarity with people living with AIDS, caregivers of persons living with AIDS; in demonstration of their awareness of the prevalence of the epidemic and what can be done in the areas of prevention, care, stigma and discrimination,” she says of the initiative’s target.

She believes there is a need for a coordinating body to deal with the epidemic in our country: a body that should comprise of stakeholders from the government, civil society, and the private sector.

She points out that the belief that persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) can be “integrated” into the folds of society is problematic and suggests they do not belong, which can lead to the violation of human rights.

“We have to be careful of our use of language, eh. For example, persons living with HIV/AIDS could be deprived of employment because of their status, which could result in pauperization leading to the inability to adequately support their household, purchase food and medication including anti-retrovirals and other medications for opportunistic infections,” she gives an example of how discrimination has a trickle-down effect.

About the ills of discrimination that haunt PLWHA, she continues, “These same persons may be hospitalized and the treatment meted out to them by trained healthcare workers leaves much to be desired. Some children are deprived of attending a school of their choice because of their or [family members’] known or perceived status.” Among the most at-risk groups in society, Jacquie says women, particularly young women, are most vulnerable to HIV infection if they lack access to information, education, and the necessary services to ensure sexual and reproductive health. “Gender inequality means that [women’s] capacity to negotiate in the context of sexual activity is severely undermined and compromised; unequal power relations between men and women and genderbased violence put women at a disadvantage and higher susceptibility to contracting HIV,” she describes how women and girls are disproportionately exposed to the disease.

Studies have showed that women between the ages of 15-24 account for the fastest growing number of new HIV infections with global figures standing at 58% and in the Caribbean, 46%. However, while much focus is placed on girls and women who are in their reproductive years, Jacquie says more mature women are not immune.

“This age group sometimes engages in unprotected sex thinking there is no risk of pregnancy while exposing themselves to the risk of HIV and other STIs,” she cautions.

She believes the key areas in which women need special attention are treatment and care, counseling, empowerment (having a voice), dealing with mental illnesses such as depression, loneliness and loss, legal issues, and help with caring for their offspring. While the work of advocacy groups does push for the treatment and wellbeing of all PLWHA, the lived realities of these persons does not escape Jacquie. She reiterates that a larger body comprising of stakeholders from various strata of society is necessary in the push to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and offer tangible and necessary support to PLWHA in TT.

“Commemoration of World AIDS Day is an opportunity for people worldwide to show their support and solidarity for people living with HIV. This show of support should not be a one-day affair but all year through,” she says when asked how we can all take the necessary steps to spread awareness and acceptance.

She says the “face” of the disease has changed, given medical advancements, which have allowed PLWHA to live out their natural lives. But while the face of the disease has evolved much of society’s archaic notions surrounding it have not. “With all the information available on HIV/AIDS, there is so much ignorance – on the one hand people do not know the facts about being able to protect themselves and on the other, stigma and discrimination drive the disease underground.

“As a society we have to learn to accept people as they are [and] avoid the temptation to discriminate against people living with HIV/AIDS.” Through activities such as the AIDS Walk and the annual Candlelight Memorial, she hopes MST&T can push forward to helping these words become a reality, for the betterment of both PLWHA and the public at large.

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