A
alexk
Guest
A La Brea man is now hoping either Government or private citizens will help reopen an orphanage which once housed several youths.
Lester Joseph is keen to re-established the home which was set up by his mother Carmen Joseph in 1958.
Speaking to Guardian Media yesterday, Joseph said his mother began taking children from the Majuba Hill area into her three-bedroom home back then and did so without ever asking for any state assistance. He said eventually the orphanage was established and it became known as the happy home for children. He said his mother was eventually awarded the Hummingbird silver medal for her contribution to the community.
But in 1994 as his mother lay on her deathbed, Lester promised that the home’s door will remain open and after marrying his wife Annmarie the couple set out providing a safe haven for children. “They were all happy, the house was full of laughter and cheer, every children from the area would come and when it was time for them to leave they would cry,” he said.
In 2016, however, life changed for Lester when his wife passed away. Shortly after, Lester suffered two strokes and failing health and lack of support forced him to ask the Children’s Authority to relocate the remaining children.
But sadness soon overwhelmed him.
“I felt real disappointed, I made a promise to my mother and now I broke it. I loved each of those children,” a tearful Joseph said yesterday.
Joseph’s cousin, Kevin Greenidge, said Lester has never been the same after the home closed. However, Greenidge is now appealing to citizens willing and to be part of a board of directors to come forward and help them reopen the home.
Greenidge can be contacted at 282-9134 while Joseph can be contacted at 342-9612.
JESSE RAMDEO