The Jah Heart Foundation for Kids diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy

    Trinidad and Tobago was voted as the fifth happiest country on the planet, not much of a surprising fact though, as we have always seen ourselves as a happy-go-lucky people. This is most evident during the Carnival season as night after night, Trinis party away their stresses. One enterprising young woman, however, has managed to give more meaning to those positive party vibes, channeling them into something even more substantial and charitable –a foundation with children at its heart.

    Cathy-Ann Edwards-Arthur is a 34-year-old banking professional who is trying to make a difference, one child at a time, and it's actually something that she is indeed in the process of achieving. Her non-profit organisation, The Jah Heart Foundation, was formed in 2009 and is dedicated to creating awareness of Cerebral Palsy among the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago. Under the co-directorship of Cheryl-Ann Edwards-Wears & Gregory Mc Kay, Jah Heart also seeks to provide assistance to children clinically diagnosed with the condition. CP is in fact not a disease – a point stressed by Edwards-Arthur it’s a disability.

 

    "Any child can be diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. It can be caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain during the birthing process, for example; and children with this condition can experience problems with mobility and speech. So a normal 3-yr-old will be talking, moving objects, rolling, creeping, but children with cerebral palsy may not be able to perform such actions. It's something which you cannot lay blame on the physician, the mother or the hospital."

 

    Speaking with Cathy-Ann, you could hear the passion in her voice & feel its intensity as she spoke animatedly on the subject. For her, The Jah Heart Foundation is not merely a charitable organisation, but an outward extension of the values she holds dear; and although she has always considered herself a charitable individual, in 2007 one dramatic turn of events with a runaway horse in Santa Cruz would present her with a new perspective on life, ultimately becoming the catalyst for her foundation coming into existence.

 

It was then The Jah Heart Foundation for Kids diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy was born......