Trinity AMSA students donate to orphanage

Students of the Trinity School of Medicine at Ratho Mill, who are members of the the American Medical Students Association (AMSA), journeyed to Georgetown on Sunday, March 23, to deliver a quantity of items to the St Benedict Orphanage and Day Nursery.{{more}}

The students, for some time now, have been making donations to this institution. There had been gifts and donations of essential items and activities, including a Christmas 2013 “Angel Tree” event, in which each child of the orphanage was adopted by a student of Trinity AMSA and was given many gifts for Christmas.

Day Care students were also given gifts in this drive.

This time, for Sunday’s donation, the AMSA members conducted an investigation into the most urgent needs of the institution. Susan Kim, president of AMSA, reported that a lot of the items required could have been purchased here in St Vincent and the Grenadines, but their organization sought to acquire them in the United States, as they could have been had at a cheaper rate, and thus enabled greater purchasing.

Articles donated ranged from personal to institutional items. These included linen, towels, blankets, toys, clothes, shoes, and toiletries. They also gave over-the-counter medications – like children’s painkillers. The St Benedict Orphanage and Day Nursery was in dire need of office supplies and some general electronic equipment. The students of Trinity responded to this need by donating several DVD players and educational and fun movies for the children to watch.

President Kim reported that Trinity AMSA, among their other programs, has taken a very special interest in the St Benedict Orphanage and Day Nursery, and they “will definitely continue to do this”, especially the “Angel Tree.”

According to www.amsa.org, the American Medical Students Association is “the oldest and largest independent association of physicians-in-training in the United States.” AMSA can be found globally in medical schools and universities with an American base. It acts as “a vital force of future physicians who believe that patients and health professionals are partners in the management of health care and that access to high-quality health care is a right and not a privilege.” Members of AMSA practise activism as a way of life, where student idealism is transformed into meaningful public service, innovation and institutional change.

The students of Trinity AMSA have vowed to make this a reality in St Vincent and the Grenadines.