Shyan Johnson

Growing up as a child, I have always wanted to be a nurse. However, life had a different plan for me. Somehow I developed the need to care for young children, so much so that I sometimes refer to it as my calling. Not special needs children specifically, but children. Nevertheless, when applied to be an instructor for the kids at Osana, I never thought it will be this fulfilling.

I obtained my secondary education at SWAHA Hindu College in Sangre Grande and went on to SERVOL institute. Therefore my qualifications when I started at Osana were as follows, I had successfully completed a computer literacy program, I had a certificate of training in Home Health Aid, I participated in the Ministry of Health, Aides to Nursing program, I held a certificate in Health Care Assistance, (level 2), which I acquired while working at (Eastern Regional Health Authority)-ERHA as an Aid to Nursing trainee. I also possessed a certificate in First Aid and CPR, which I gained at the (North Central Regional Health Authority)-NCRHA, in February of 2016.

Furthermore, as I continue to work at Osana, I felt the need to advanced myself as an instructor, as I am of the belief that there is always room for improvement and development in everything we do. With this in mind, I went on to obtained certificates in Learning Disabilities, Special Education, and Child Psychology, all in the year 2022, I then completed a Basic First Aid/CPR course in 2023. I also did a YTEPP, Early childhood Care and Education course in 2022/2023, which I have yet to receive my certificate. I have been an instructor for the past 5 years now, and continue to enjoy it tremendously. I believe I have contributed in a very positive way, in that I continue to care for the children and is always looking for ways to improve their development. I teach them, I promote their learning, we read together, we play together. Their growth and development continue to be extremely important to me and as a result I am always searching for new ways to assist in their continuous progress.
In conclusion, I think, the future looks very promising, since I plan to further my studies academically, in order to gain the knowledge and education needed. This in turn will benefit myself, the children and Osana.

I am a mother with an adult son with autism. After returning home from living abroad, I realized that there were no programs or schools in our community for my son to socialize or interact with peers. There were no recreational, or training programs in place that could help him learn to participate in his community. In addition to my son, there were other young adults and children in the Sangre Grande area, with special needs who were isolated, not participating in a program or school situation.

With the need for a program in mind, I converted my garage into a learning center in 2015 and held Saturday Respite Sessions for these children and young adults. These sessions were so successful that the community came together and we formed The Osana Foundation.

The Osana Day Training Program started on September 2nd 2019 with five clients. We now have over twenty participants of various ages, with a separate learning area for the younger children. We presently have a blended curriculum because of the Covid situation and meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays are our online fourty- five minutes zoom sessions. Osana also follows the Public School’s Calendar of Holidays.

Our curriculum is both individualized and functional, which helps prepare our participants for success in the community and includes a variety of subjects, such as Life Skills, Literacy, Functional Math, Basic Food Preparation, Agriculture, Computer, Personal Hygiene, Drama, Music and Community Outreach. Osana now has special workbooks designed individually for pre readers and writers and those who are beginning to read and write.

The client-instructor ratio is 5 to 1 for the younger children and 7 to 1 for the older participants. We now have four regular staff members, a director and two volunteers. Funding is received from donations and contributions from friends, family and community, fundraising and tuition. Some clients are financially unable to pay their fees, so we ask financial assistance and support from sponsors. Presently there are two participants who need sponsorship. We are also trying to raise funds for our bus, furniture and kitchen cabinets.

As a non- profit organization we try to maintain affordable tuition rates, to accommodate clients with little or no income, so that they too can benefit from this important community program. We are therefore asking for your assistance to help us continue this much needed program, so we can help our special clients, to become more independent, self- assured, and confident as they participate in the journey of life.