 Hello and welcome to another episode of Stepping Up. I'm your host, Daniel Dubois. We continue to feature the organizations who benefited from the proceeds raised at the Prime Minister's Ball as part of this year's independent celebrations. We have done a few so far, but there are so many more examples of charitable organizations filling the gaps, supporting St. Lucien's and just giving back. This week, we feature the team at Moghuj Club 60. I chat with two passionate members of the organization and get to learn about their efforts in Choselle. What started off as a simple move by one man in his community to find ways to engage and extend care for elderly persons in his community, grow to become a string of club 60 groups around the island who offer adult care services for our country's senior services. In this interview, I chat with Ms. Mary Pierre, the coordinator of the adult day care center in Moghuj, and she lets us know all that we need to and more in this first interview. I am here in the beautiful community of Choselle, or should I say Moghuj? Did I say properly Moghuj? All right, Moghuj Choselle. And I'm here with Mary Pierre and she's a coordinator for the Moghuj Club 60. And they have been one of the selected organizations who are able to receive proceeds from the Prime Minister's Ball this year. So today we want to talk about Club 60 and I want to introduce you to my guest, Ms. Mary Pierre. How are you? Thank you. So let us know, let's talk about the beginning of the genesis of Club 60 and then we're going to come back to the donation that you guys receive. But let us know how Club 60 started and what are some of the things that you guys have been up to? Club 60 started in 1995. With Mr., I will say Mr. Avril was the founder of Club 60 because while he was looking for persons with a blind vision, impaired persons, he discovered that there was a lot of older person who needed care. So he encouraged us, people in the community to form an organization called Club 60s to help the elderly in the community. So that is why Club 60 is there. And we have 24 Club 60s in the community around here. 24 clubs? There was 24 when Mr. Avril was there. So that's like the two pockets of people helping older people in the community. We still have, but we have more in the south. I don't know for enough much. Okay. Because I know most of them, they just die out. We are not getting enough. I think we are not getting enough. Younger people coming into the club to assist the older ones. So therefore the clubs, the older ones really lying on somebody to do something and we are not getting enough. But I can tell you from the south of the island, from Monripo to Shwazel, we have a strong, vibrant club school. We have an association of 7 Club 60 of which I am the president. Wow, okay. See, I did something today. So we are from Monripo and these little groups come in together and I'll tell you they have done a lot of it. We are not publicizing our work, but we are doing a lot. But I agree to publicize a little bit about what you guys are doing. Yes. So we have been doing a lot of work from Monripo. They have been building houses, Shwazel. They have been renovating, doing this, doing that. So we do a lot of work by dating. Nothing. People who assist us, who assist us. So we continue doing that. There's library, there's Shwazel, there's Oje, Newfork. And all the people come together that are helping out, volunteers. Yes, we see the people I have there are volunteers and one group. Well, we are not getting much volunteers. These people that are there now, I'm going to visit them. Now they themselves have their own assignment. But today they come out today. It's only me and the cook. The salary to pay caregivers, we need caregivers. Because we don't even have all the people here today. We need caregivers. But the assistance for caregivers is not for ourselves. I get you. What does the typical day look like at Morgush Cup 16? And you said that it's not every day that you guys give care to the LNA. So let me know what does the typical day look like when they come through and you guys extend your care? It's very hectic. Being alone as a coordinator, as a caregiver. And everything else. We are collecting them with the bus. We have a driver. Of course we have to pay the driver. The assistance in going around, if you know Victoria, up, down, go around Morgush Cup 16 and the people that comes. And the same goes in the afternoon. To drop them back home. So basically it's a space for them to come and spend the day. Spend the day, yes. And you take care of them. You take care of them. They play dominoes. Just now we can see them on the table. You are using the table now? Yes. They are doing dominoes. They are building rooms. We do their pressure. We do their basic. We just do the basic. Personal care for them. We give them a break right now. They must be getting their break. And then we give them lunch. Okay. And how many days are we giving them? Three days. Monday, Wednesdays and Wednesdays. Okay. How many people do you guys have a part of that they send your care to? And I also want to know how do you identify the places that you want to help and bring in? Actually we have a registration form. Okay. Why do we register those who want to come? People call us and if they would like to drop their parents for the day, they are welcome. If they want to drop them on a monthly basis, they do. We have a fee attached to about per month. It's not much. It's just $80. The majority we don't send anybody a week a single day. We accept everyone. We do what we can. And God do that. And you guys have been doing well because I'm talking about Tuesday. She mentioned to me that earlier this year you guys celebrated 25 years doing this work. So when you reflect for me, your most heartfelt moment or your proudest moment being the president and being a part of the club for so long. Well, I have a love for older people. My heart is very close to older people. Seniors and young girls. Children. And being a health worker I work with older people. I worked in the health center for 10 years. I was in the senior system. I worked in the field because I wanted to meet the people in the field. So I went to the field as a community health worker and then from there I discovered a real need of older people. Imagine the five cents we were getting at the time. That's okay. We would use that to pay our passage to the students. We would use that when we go to the homes at 11 and the diabetic don't have food to get a part of the biscuit or whatever we can get to feed that person. So that gives me a love for them. I am doing it because of the love for older people. The kind of needs you're seeing in the community if you have a heart for a passion for them then you will just jump into that and help. Because people who come and assist me are telling you you have to be to know what it is. I never knew that. And it's a very, I can imagine rewarding experience and especially as you say it's very close to your heart and you're passionate about it. It's a very challenge. It's a very challenge to work with people like us. I have a challenge this morning that you have to overcome. I can imagine. Patients you have to call them you have to do that. You will be all right. Okay, I'm not bathing today. You've seen the need for the day for the bath. But you say you're going to put your clothes on. Put the nice clothes on. Make you feel nice. As you say that I want to ask how do you deal with we talk about depression all the time but you know that a lot of older people do suffer from depression and I don't want to bring my family into this but you know my grandmother probably for the past decade is like y'all don't see me next year that's my last birthday and when they reach a certain threshold they're waiting to go and especially as you say that so how do you deal with depression and how do you deal with those persons who start to feel like you're giving up because a lot of it is the mental and they feel like they can't move how they want to move and they lose their strength and that's something that a lot of older people deal with. Encouragement you have to encourage because my grandmother also I have a lot of friends you have to understand they will tell you don't argue with them don't tell them what they say is not right they are always right don't even know it's not but you always give them the right you always tell them patience okay I will do it for you it's okay because right there they come and call me and tell me my partner is on the fire my partner is on the fire burning I said okay it's okay I already turned the stove off for you okay so you do little things like that to be patient but don't tell them oh you have to stop don't argue you won't reach no way you just get them out so you have to be very gentle what message do you have for young persons and you know you say that you're looking for volunteers and you're looking for caregivers people to just come and give their time to help you back to the community why is it that you have to tell them about caring for the elderly and giving back to the elderly well what I have to tell them is exactly we are growing up I am saying it's from the womb to the tomb that's how we do actually if we are lucky we will reach that age today we are young and tomorrow we are old so we are growing up we have to look after the elderly because tomorrow might be somebody looking after them sometimes we don't even have to be an elderly for people to look after them because we have so many different things that people have to travel young people that's why we have an adult in the care center we can take people once they are an adult they don't have to be seniors to come if they are an adult and we can assist you with that we don't take children but we take adults so we are just on a journey and I will say we have it's a no return ticket so when we take the tickets we cannot return they don't give you back the money no return so we have to enjoy it as it is enjoy the ride it is good right now sometimes it's rough sometimes you have to fall too much no matter if you are rich poor ageing has no respect and that's what we do age sometimes I think it's a privilege getting to see because I adore my grandmother and it's amazing to see just to be around them and see when you are young remember how they used to be and how as time goes by they require more attention and more love it's a blessing to be able to give that back it's a blessing to be able to give that back so I can imagine that your heart is full every day walking this walk every single day I will tell you a little cigarette when I was a community health fit when I go out there on the field I do something I do enough work I don't get something but when I get somebody that day in my head I want to see in the field but knowing when I go to the homes and see things that happen and the real people needy people vulnerable people I cannot see I cannot see especially if it's raining it's windy the house was there we renovated the house and I had a room after visiting the home after the Covid but the Covid has exposed everything it's exposed a lot and we are seeing a lot and there will be we have an ageing population do you think it has a really big ageing population? definitely by 2025 we may have right now we have 16% of our population our older people in Shwezel we have the largest amount of older people our older people our oldest people not far away from here not very far away we have another 100 and this lady when she was 100 she makes sure the one that's 102 when she was 100 she makes sure the children take her to the club 60 to half a party she didn't want it nowhere and invite every club like that so it was you can see how they enjoy the club it's a social we have social activities not only that we reach out to those inside the club we reach out to those outside like if we have wheelchairs people don't need wheelchairs they don't need crutches they don't need walking stick we go out we got some food parcels we distribute to the most vulnerable those that don't come in here they still do something they can get something to eat as we wrap up we know that you guys were selected to receive some funds from the prime minister's ball for independent celebrations let us know what have you done or what do you intend on doing and how has it basically helped your money and contributed to your work definitely I must say a big thank you to the prime minister and the group who raised this one I think it's the independence of what's going to be right it could not have come at a more opportune time because of Covid we had to close for five months wow and in going back to the people a lot of them was going through the branch because we were close they didn't have those socialization now this money will help us so much we see so much to do that it will finish if we have to use it but we are trying to do little what it has helped us to do we went to a copper and see the condition of the house which was a good at all we touched the house and then you used the piece we stayed in your home we had things cardboard whatever to block it and I said so soon we are going to touch this copper's life we are going to change we are going to clean up campaign we invite the council to do all the classes around the house there was work and other things so we had to clean up and then we paid we are not completely complete yet we have well they are sleeping better but we still have to pay in that place and do some other work we are very happy that we are able to do that from there and next we look at our own building everything that was closed during COVID have COVID my god all of our disabled life we have our windows broken and doors and other things people tried to break into the facility but you are talking about dry rocks and all things so so we are looking at renovating our your space the space doing the things we have to do and then we have the people to pay the person who is cooking we have to pay we have to do pay we don't even have a caregiver trying to see if we can get one from the program we used to help us because as I told you we used to people from the group that come and assist us the volunteer that used to come every year, every other day with us but now she has a baby and she is able to come in to come in so that have helped us quite a bit we have the vehicle which we have to service if you look at it we have to spray because it is getting dry we have it for 10 years now it is getting old every time we have to change parts change this change so there is a lot we have to do with that $25,000 but it looks like it is a big sum for us but we say thank you and also at the end I want to say our district he has been elderly has been very close to his aunt he is trying his best we have seen our time we have been pretty here and that is why he is trying his best to assist as much as he can thank you we have ready a few things minister he has I have a chain he is a good man he is always there with the Christmas we have to get to the side of the people we need to get to the side we need to get to the side there are different things that we can do we have to do everything this is what commitment we should do let him as long as he is there that he supports I should say So I say a district rep. Anyways Miss Pia, thank you so much, so, so, so much. God bless your heart, God bless your endeavors. Thank you for stepping up and we wish you all the best moving forward. Thank you my dear and we both welcome to work with you all the time out here. Do this for no less than 15 seconds. Rinse properly. Try with a clean towel. If there is no water, do the same washing motions with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer containing at least 70% alcohol. Wash your hands. Wash them right. This message brought to you courtesy the Bureau of Health Education of the Ministry of Health and Wellness. Thank you so much Miss Pia. Her passion and love was definitely felt while doing this interview. I wish her all the best and I want to say thank you so much for all of your years of service. Juliana St. Rose is the Treasurer of the Mongols Club 60. She gives us some insight on the management of the group and how they continue to help persons in their community. She tells me for as long as she can remember she has always been involved in community outreach and development. Let's take a look. When we first knew we were going to get the funds, in fact, we were hoping that I'd do it with a millionaires. You got so much. How much was it again? 25,000. But that's like a millionaires. Yes exactly. Because you've never had such. Yes, so much years. But going around in the community, and especially with the people involved in the center, as the adults, when we visited this public house and saw that we needed the streets of the building to set up, we will have to inject a little of that before we have anything on this building for the center. Because they are coming and whatever they are coming, it's a rooted manifestation. It was like, I don't know, not even in the ghetto do you hear something. So we leave with our hearts just around. And we try and take out just the building and to replace it. But my idea, when we touched the first slide, everything was just out. So luckily, we said we were going to spend at least 2,000 of the funds in there, but we had to wait until tomorrow. But luckily, community persons, it is all everybody who have been coming out to save us from spending a year in the ghetto, giving us the pain. Sometimes we're too nervous. And a few of the middle streets are behind me. First you do things against them, then you say, you know, things that we are doing. And it would be very difficult for me to see the place because I am telling you, it's a lot of work. And have you started working? Okay, now I had to follow the rally right now. It's not village councils, it's constituency councils. That's why I had to ask for assistance. Just to do everything cleaner. But it's just a touch of the people we have there. Because there's so, so much to be done. Can you just, as we wrap up, give a call to St Lucia, let them know the importance of contributing and giving back to initiatives like of 16, right? And let them know how they can get on board. Well, St Lucia's, I'm telling you, young and old, I think it is our duty to help one another. It's not going to be our sister, our brother, our immediate, but when we say I need it, I think it is from policy. I would even say from policy first to us. Because we are each palace keeper. And if we love, if we really truly know the meaning of love, we can use this word and create and change St Lucia significantly by helping and giving. Because when I and the group was out there in the community and we see the need of some of our people, our brothers and sisters, it is hard to believe. So if somebody has a bed, maybe they don't want it. Another person needs it. So do not throw it away or just throw it away or whatever you can or you'll find out you can get somebody to do it. Because sometimes as I say, some once you want it, it's another one. And so on. Because if you look into the area of some of our people where they have it, and to look at them as our brother and sister, this very, very big people. No messengers. And at same situations, if they ever come, nothing is too small or too big to do it. We thank you so much. Thank you so much. And that's it for this week's installment of Stepping Up. We are always on the lookout for anyone who is doing some amazing, noteworthy stuff in the country. Feel free to send me an email at SteppingUp758 at gmail.com to be featured. Thank you once again for joining us. I'm your host, Daniel Dubois. Until next time, keep safe and don't forget to keep Stepping Up.