One person can make a difference, and a Vincentian nurse based in Canada is doing her part to impact the lives of over 200 Vincentian school children.

For many years, Yvette Glynn Hamlet, originally from Bequia, who migrated to Canada over 30 years ago, has been sending gifts through the Bequia Anglican church so that they could host Christmas parties for children.{{more}}

Two years ago she had an idea to pack knapsacks with school supplies and distribute them to schoolchildren in St Vincent and the Grenadines.

“I just wanted to do something more,” she told SEARCHLIGHT.

Glynn-Hamlet said that she discussed the idea with her two daughters and her colleagues at the University Health Network (UHN) Hospital, Transplant Unit in Toronto, and they all embraced the concept.

Last year Glynn-Hamlet shipped 164 of the knapsacks filled with important school supplies, toiletries such deodorant, socks, and underwear that were distributed to several primary and secondary schools nationwide.

This year, the project has grown and Glynn-Hamlet made the trip herself, this time distributing 230 knapsacks.

She had high praise for Minister of Education, Girlyn Miguel, who arranged duty free concessions for the supplies and organized transportation for Glynn-Hamlet to travel to various schools, including the Sandy Bay, Owia, and Fancy government schools.

Minister Miguel made some of the trips to the schools with Glynn-Hamlet.

“It is always a good thing to invest in a child’s education, and each person must do what ever they can to help another,’ she said.

She said that she worked along with the officials at the various schools to ensure that the gifts were given to the less fortunate children in the schools.

Glynn-Hamlet said that she believes that the programmme will grow.

She said that fellow nurses and the doctors at her workplace are very excited about the project and she believes that when she carries back the photographs and video clips of the trip, it will stir them to give more.

“God is working through me to do all of this and to get this going,’ she said.