Andrew Wildes, Gleaner Writer

Dr Andrea Garbutt examines a child from the Walkers Place of Safety at a mini health fare put on by Faith Chapel United Pentecostal Church. The fair was held at 17 Lyndhurst Road, Kingston 5, as part of the church's community outreach ministry.

WHILE the country reels in response to the spate of gruesome violence against the most vulnerable members of our society, there are still groups across the nation which, without fanfare, are doing small acts of kindness for the welfare of Jamaica's destitute children.

Some 40 children aged two to 15 years from the Walkers Place of Safety, on Lyndhurst Road in Kingston, were the beneficiaries yesterday of a mini health fair put on by the Faith Chapel United Pentecostal Church. The children, who are victims of incest, abandonment, rape and violence, among other abuses, were given check-ups by a team of medical volunteers, including optical specialists.

The volunteers - all from the Foundation for International Self- Help (FISH) - extended not only medical care but love to the children who also received personal oral-care kits and, of course, lots of food.

Dr Andrea Garbutt, president of the Paediatric Association of Jamaica, who volunteered to give the children their free physical examinations, was keen to note that her assessment of each child was more than physical and included the child's educational and social health. This means that along with recommending medical prescriptions, she would be recommending children for specialised education, and educating the girls entering adolescence about menstruation.

"These children are really a joy to work with," said Paulette Parker, coordinator of Faith Chapel United Pentecostal Church's youth ministry, the group responsible for the day's events. "We planned on coming in May but at that time, they all had chickenpox and so we had to postpone, and so we are really thankful," she said.

Sanford Laing (right) stays focused while being examined by Dr Neville Graham in the Winchester Surgical and Medical Institute booth during a health fair yesterday. The fair was hosted by Petrojam, on Marcus Garvey Drive in Kingston, for members of nearby communities. - Norman Grindley/Acting Photography Editor

A volunteer health-care professional from FISH attends to a boy. Volunteers from FISH conducted a health fair at the Walkers Place of Safety on Lyndhurst Road yesterday. - Contributed photos