Special delivery

Ten-year-old Marian Kaji was the centre of attention at the Central Police Station today for all the right reasons.

The Wesley Hall Juniors student was all smiles as she was rewarded and praised for a generous donation she made to the Royal Barbados Police Force (RBPF).

The Class 3 student of Wesley Hall Primary School presented an exit sign to the force which was installed on the wall in the reception area at Central Police Station.

During a visit to the station with her father Mubin Kaji last Friday, Marian noticed that the newly-renovated space did not have an official exit sign in place, when her father attempted to leave through the door they had used to enter but was told by a police officer that he was headed in the wrong direction.

Marian went home and discussed with her parents that she needed to get a sign for the police.

On Wednesday morning the child returned to the station armed with a sign, but it did not go up at the same time, since the top brass of the RBPF, decided that the child’s kind gesture should be highlighted by the media.

The soft-spoken little girl said she was delighted to make the donation.

“I thought they needed the sign because my father went through the ‘enter’ side twice, so I thought that they needed the exit side. I feel great,” Marian told members of the media gathered to capture the special moment.

The child’s father Mubin said his daughter played an instrumental role in seeing the project come to fruition.

Superintendent Margaret Stephens, who was present for the official handing over of the sign said it would not have been good enough for the force to just accept the sign and not highlight the circumstances under which it came.

“I come into contact with a lot of children and I know that there are a lot of positive children out there. All the children need is someone to guide them. They need confidantes. Given the fact that we see a lot of children who are positive, and their positivity sometimes go unnoticed, we thought it was the best thing to involve the principal and parents of the child and let her do a formal presentation to us,” Superintendent Stephens said.

In return, the force gave Marian a certificate in recognition of her kind gesture, and presented her parents with a gift basket.

Wesley Hall’s Principal Herbert Gittens, said he was elated when he received a call from Superintendent Stephens, requesting that he attend the function, which would highlight the act of kindness by one of his students.

Gittens said Marian’s gesture showed that school’s mandate to instill good morals and values in students was showing results.

“It is good when students do good deeds. I would use this as an example to the other students tomorrow at prayers and encourage them to do good things.

“I know that the force right now is challenged given what is happening in society. We will continue to tell our students that criminal activity is not the way to go, and I will encourage them to work and follow the good examples set by the force. We really have to work to get this society back to where it was,” Gittens said.

Marian’s mother Hamidah also attended the ceremony to cheer her daughter on.
anestahenry@barbadostoday.bb