Good Samaritan takes up mission to put Seaview parents, baby in better living conditions
Published:Thursday | April 25, 2024 | 12:09 AMBarbara Gayle/Gleaner Writer
The conditions under which a newborn baby and her parents are living are so deplorable that some residents of Seaview Gardens in St Andrew this week threatened to call a government agency to intervene in the situation.
Mario Wallace, founder of non-profit organisation Par with Mar, said he was at home when he heard a commotion and, on investigating, saw a crowd voicing disapproval of the newborn’s living conditions.
Wallace said he heard threats being issued to call a certain government agency.
“To my shock and dismay, I saw a very small wooden structure made from pallet and even curtains were used as walls for the room,” he told The Gleaner yesterday.
Wallace said he was almost moved to tears when he saw the plight of the family and so he began calling around for people to help them.
He said some of the residents of Seaview Gardens have volunteered to help and he got promises from a few businesses in the vicinity to assist in constructing a house for the family.
Wallace said the baby needs constant medical care as he was informed that the infant has a heart condition.
“I want to start the construction even this week, so I am hoping that I will get the well-needed help to start and complete the house before the rainy season,” he said. “The house is situated near to a gully and I am told that, when it rains, water just runs through the little dilapidated structure which has dirt floor. In addition to that, the parents and the baby sleep on a piece of ply board on the dirt floor.
“I cannot find words to describe the condition under which this family is living, but what I can say it is ‘really, really bad’,” Wallace lamented.
The baby’s mother does not work and Wallace says the father sells bag juice for a living but that is not enough to support the family.
He said the family needs help and right now they need a bed to sleep on and well-needed provisions for themselves and the baby.
“The condition is heart-rending,” said Wallace.
He is asking anyone willing to help the family to contact him on behalf of the Par with Mar Foundation at 876-880-3020.
Educational empowerment, community outreach, skills development and health and wellness are some of the foundation’s programmes.
Par with Mar is dedicated to uplifting and empowering the most vulnerable individuals in inner-city communities. The mission of the foundation “is to provide essential developmental assistance and support to those in need, in fostering positive change and creating a brighter future for all”.