The YWCA of St Vincent has its own Granny!
Germaine Rose is a robust, young 80 year old lady, affectionately called “Granny Rose” by all those who know her - especially the many children she has been lovingly taking care of over the years. Still today you will find her every day at the YWCA Day Care centre on Mc Kies Hill in St Vincent – always with a smile on her face.
It all started in 1982 when members of the YWCA, as well as women working at the glove factory, had nowhere to leave their children during the day and would bring them to Granny Rose to care for – the YWCA Day Care Centre of St Vincent was born!
As Granny Rose put it: “I just had a heart for these children who had nowhere to go and I also always had children at my own home”
Granny Rose had 6 children of her own and was happy to take care of others. In all she cared for as many as 15 children, including some who had been abused, even though there was sometimes not enough food for all.
As the day care centre grew and more help was required, teachers who had been trained by Save the Children Canada were recruited.
An amazing story is that of Maxine, a blind woman, who has been working at the centre since 1989. After attending the school for the blind, the YWCA was asked to recruit Maxine as a teacher. The YWCA trained her and today she is a valuable and much appreciated member of the staff. “ Maxine is amazing!” says Granny Rose, “She would have me flabbergasted! She never makes a mistake with the children. She knows which clothes are Hester’s clothes, which are Darline’s…”
The mothers and children are so grateful to Granny Rose and the YWCA, an institution greatly respected in St Vincent. An example is that of a lady who came back from the USA, and because of her wonderful memories of her days with Granny Rose, wanted to give back to the YWCA. Children who come to the centre today are often the children of those who had attended during their own childhood.
As Norissa Cruickshank, General Secretary of the YWCA of St. Vincent & The Grenadines explained, the YWCA Day Care Centre is a wonderful stepping-stone for many of these children. After leaving the centre the children excel in school and many go on to college and become successful professionals. They all recognize the value of the basic foundation they received from the YWCA.
Norissa is a wonderful example of a young woman who benefited from her YWCA experience. She started working at the YWCA in 1986; represented the St Vincent YWCA as a youth delegate at the World Council 1991 in Norway; followed the ITI in Geneva in 1994, and is today General Secretary.
Other than being renowned for its Day Care Centre, the YWCA of St Vincent is seen as a pioneer in the area of training, and although financing classes have always been a challenge, the YWCA has made a point of upholding these programmes.
Asked what her dream for the YWCA is, Granny Rose immediately responded that she would like to see an increase in the number of YWCA members, see more exposure at a regional level, as well as more regional connections and activities.
As for Norissa, she would like to see the YWCA as “a place where young people can gravitate to learn” . Her main dream for the YWCA is to start an Early School Leavers’ Programme similar to the one at the YWCA of Belize, to help get these young people off the streets, as well as a Parenting Programme for young mothers.
Both Granny Rose and Norissa Cruickshank are examples of the myriad YWCA women in the world who give joy to others and contribute to improving their lives.
