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local Thursday 16 February 2023
SVGA celebrates carnaval

(Oranjestad)—Yesterday,
the Foundation for the
Mentally Disabled Aruba
(SVGA), held its own car-
naval celebrations. Our
reporter sat down with Mrs.
Elvira Tromp, director of the
‘Man na Obra’ Center—one
of the funding departments,
who explained a little more
about the celebration and
the foundation.

“After two years, we at
SVGA are happy to able to
celebrate Carnaval again
with all of our funding de-
partments. Thanks to the were not able to get full development according to
cooperation of the general time assistance. They could their disability. The goal is
manager at Renaissance only be provided with as- to provide care and higher
Wind CreekCasio, who col- sistance a few days in the education to those with
laborated with SVGA for week at best. disabilities, so they can also
many years already, we have a chance at a high-
were able to celebrate For this reason, the founda- quality life within the com-
carnaval at the Renais- tion had to modify their pro- munity, where their care
sance Convention Cen- grams; everyone needed takers, professionals and
ter,” Tromp said. to get accustomed to so- the clients themselves can
cial distancing, face masks work together.
For SVGA, it is tradition to etc. Now that everything is
celebrate Carnaval and back to normal, Tromp ex- SVGA has different depart-
they have been doing this pressed that they are very ments. It consists of an ele-
for 20 years already at the happy, but are still taking mentary school (Scol Duna
convention center. She ex- necessary precautions. un Man), where children
plained that clients are the attend up to the age of 16.
ones that are always asking In terms of this year’s ex- The department of Bibito
for Carnaval celebrations pectations for this founda- Pin, which is a day care for
each year. tion, Tromp remarked that children who are just start-
they would like to see more ing out, also accepts chil-
During the last two years, inclusion of their clients dren from the ages of 2 up
due to the Covid-19 pan- within the Aruban com- to 16 years old. Depending
demic, the foundation munity: “Don’t ignore them on the development of the
could not keep up with its because they are disabled; child, they will evaluate
tradition. However, clients they are also a part of our where the child may go
and employees were finally community. Wherever pos- next, whether it is school or
able to celebrate together: sible, include them, invite another department.
“We are happy to be to- them, and let them partici-
gether again to celebrate pate alongside the rest of The department of Briyo
Aruba’s 69th annual Car- the community,” she high- di Solo is also a day care
naval,” Tromp expressed. lighted. for adults starting from the
ages of 16. Adults stay in
Tromp pointed out that in SVGA was officially found- this department until they
previous years, it is true that ed on December 9th, 1964, are ready to participate
different clients of theirs under the name “Stichting in the department’s initia-
participate in the Carnaval ter behartiging van de be- tive. The same counts for
parades, sometimes joined langen van het gehandi- the Man di Obra Center,
by the foundation too or capte kind” (Foundation for where they take children
other parties. They also the protection of the inter- of 16 years of age. These
have clients whose parents ests of the disabled child). children stay in the depart-
also include them in the The organization’s mission ment until they are ready
parades. However, as an is to take care, guide and to participate with the cen-
organization, they did not teach disabled people self- ter’s goal initiative.q
partake in the public fes-
tivities this year. “Hopefully
we will able to stimulate our
clients to join the parades
again,” she added.

Tromp continued explain-
ing that the pandemic af-
fected the foundations
and its clients, and this
made it so that most clients