By Leela Ramdeen, Chair of the Catholic Commission for Social Justice
“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children” (Nelson Mandela). I thought about Mandela’s words as people called in to a Television programme on which I was a guest. They called to donate money to Hanna Lendor’s fund.
Nine year old Hanna has been waiting for a long time for a liver transplant to save her life. On Friday 18th Jensen La Vende’s headline in The Express read: “Hannalujah! T&T to the rescue: $1,342,208.01 raised for sick child’s life-saving liver surgery…”
The original goal was $1.3 million. Hanna leaves for Argentina on January 6th, 2010 to undergo pre-operative tests before surgery at Hospital Privado de Ninos in Buenos Aires.
Today is the Feast of the Holy Family. The Holy Family is an example for us all. We are all members of God’s family and when one person is in need, we have a duty to reach out in compassion to assist that person. Remember the story of the Good Samaritan? As Martin Luther King Jr. said:
“The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: ‘If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?’ But … the Good Samaritan reversed the question: ‘If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?’”
Why should we care about what happens to Hanna? Remember that “The joys and hopes, the grief and anguish of the people of our time, especially of those who are poor or afflicted, are the joys and hopes, the grief and anguish of the followers of Christ as well. Nothing that is genuinely human fails to find an echo in their hearts.” (Gaudium et Spes, Vatican Council II, 1965).
Hanna’s plight found an echo in the heart of the nation. Thousands of people, including Catholics and the Catholic Church, deposited money into the RBTT account- 8917113188 to pay for her surgery.
If we are to follow in Jesus’ footsteps, we must promote family life; we must reach out and help those families that are in need. Let us show that we value family life. Verdel Bishop reported in the Newsday recently that although people had been steadily donating and that Hanna’s mother, Arlene Lendor, is “pleased with the outpouring of kindness, love and support she has been receiving…She said…that a special fund should be put in place by the Government for sick children to access medical attention for cases which cannot be done locally.”
Mrs Lendor said: “There are many more Hannas out there. There are other parents who are begging and hoping that their child can get the help they need to survive. I hope that for all the other Hanna Lendors out there that the Government can see the suffering and the need for a special fund for sick children.”
I urge our Government to consider setting up such a fund. I was pleased to note that Republic Bank has set up a fund for sick children. As the saying goes, two hands have to clap. Corporate Social Responsibility requires companies/organizations to rise also to the challenge of building our nation.
Our people are our greatest assets. We must invest in them and promote integral human development which, as Pope Benedict XVI says, means the development of the whole person in all his/her dimensions and of every person – including Hannah. On Universal Children’s Day (20 November, 2009), CCSJ stated in our Media Release:
“Every child is a gift from God …every child matters. If we believe this, we should work tirelessly to create a world fit for children…to ensure that their best interests are the primary consideration in all decisions affecting them.”
Let us act in our people’s best interest so that they will be able to live in dignity. Let us use the nation’s resources to create conditions that will enable our people to realize their potential. We must continue to pray for Hanna and her family; that her operation will be successful and that God will restore her to health.
Send feedback to: ccsjfeedback@gmail.com To purchase: The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, Take a Bite Social Justice Programme on DVD, and the Responses to 101 Questions on Catholic Social Teaching, contact CCSJ at 622 2691 or 290 1635.
