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Speech at the TTBWA Walk for Sight 2024

Oct 13, 2024

Speech at the TTBWA Walk for Sight 2024

Good morning.

Let me start by thanking each and every one of you for coming out to participate in this annual walk in support of World Sight Day. Many of you had to get up earlier than usual on a Sunday morning to be here, and I am truly heartened by your dedication to the Association and to its work.

Today, we came together and walked to shine the spotlight on the eye and vision health of this country’s most precious assets—our children. We came together to do this because, like with so many other things in this life, we know that good things and good habits often start from young. What we did today is reinforce the message that ‘eye and vision’ issues are often able to be treated, corrected and sometimes even cured, if discovered early. The research tell us that early vision-correction enhances children’s cognitive abilities, educational success, mental health and overall quality of life. And so, what we did today is a good and an important thing. Today, we showed up for our children.

Having showed up for them today, what we also need to do, is to help our children learn how to show up for themselves, where their eye care is concerned. My dear children, let me speak directly to you for a minute – you have a very important part to play in promoting your own eye and vision health, and your own actions can make a world of difference. World Sight Day this year is all about encouraging you to love and care for your eyes, not just today, but every day. We know it’s not easy, but we, the adults in your lives, encourage you to make a commitment, today, to tear yourselves away from your phones and your tablets and your computer screens a bit, and take a break from them for at least five minutes every hour. This simple step will help improve the health of your eyes tremendously. Commit to spending a little more time outdoors, playing sports, engaging with your friends, or maybe just enjoying nature. The point is, that the less time you spend scrolling, the lower your chances of developing eye problems such as myopia – or near-sightedness.

We also want to encourage you to show up for yourselves at school. For example, if you realize that you are struggling to see or if it is hard to read the board at school, don’t hesitate to speak up and let your teacher, your parents or your guardians know. Your vision is incredibly important to your wellbeing, so make every effort to prioritise it.

And now, let me address all of the good and dedicated people who, by your presence here today have demonstrated their commitment to being advocates for eye and vision health. Now that we have successfully completed this year’s Walk for Sight, let us now carry this momentum forward and ensure that we continue to prioritise eye and vision health in our daily lives.

Most of all, permit me to express my deep gratitude for, and my enormous admiration of, the members of the Trinidad and Tobago Blind Welfare Association and their supporters. Your tireless efforts in raising awareness about vision impairment and blindness have improved the lives of countless people. This year marks 110 years of your remarkable work and I applaud you and our nation thanks you for your invaluable contributions.

Let me end by thanking each and every one of you who came out to support this walk today – for your commitment, advocacy and action in prioritising eye health and giving our nation’s children the opportunity to love their eyes.

May God bless you all and may God Bless our country.

Thank you

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#ICYMI On Tuesday, September 30, 2025, Her Excellency Christine Carla Kangaloo, ORTT, President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, delivered the Keynote Address at the International Women’s Forum Trinidad and Tobago’s (IWFTT) 4th Inspirational Women Awards Gala. ♀️🌟In her address, Her Excellency congratulated the honourees on their remarkable achievements, commending their courage and determination in the face of challenges. She also applauded the IWFTT, the local affiliate of the globally recognized International Women’s Forum (IWF), for creating a platform that highlights and celebrates women’s accomplishments.The Office of the President extends warmest congratulations to the awardees:✨ Dr. Catherine Minto-Bain – Inspirational Champion of Women Award✨ Ms. Suzan Lakhan-Baptiste – Inspirational Advocate Award✨ Ms. Maya Kirti Nanan – Inspirational Emerging Leader Award#OfficeofthePresidentTT #trinidadandtobago #InspirationalWomen ... See MoreSee Less

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The Office of the President of the Republic of T&T

5 days ago

The Office of the President of the Republic of T&T
On Friday, September 26, 2025, Their Excellencies Christine Carla Kangaloo ORTT, President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, and Kerwyn Garcia S.C., First Gentleman, hosted a Republic Day Cocktail Reception at The President's House in appreciation of the various stakeholders who support the work of the Office of the President.In her toast, Her Excellency expressed heartfelt gratitude to the members of the various Commissions, Public Offices, NGOs, Patronages, Agencies and Private Sector Organisations in attendance for their service and partnership.A highlight of the evening was the presentation of the commemorative scroll to members of the Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR), who were awarded the Chaconia Medal (Gold) at the National Awards Ceremony on Republic Day.✨ Did you know? Every recipient of a National Award is presented with a medal and an accompanying scroll.📸 🔗See link to full album: flic.kr/s/aHBqjCv#OFFICEOFTHEPRESIDENTi#NationalAwardsw#chaconiamedalM#trinidadandtobagoobago ... See MoreSee Less

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The Office of the President of the Republic of T&T

6 days ago

The Office of the President of the Republic of T&T
Mr. Guillaume Pierre, Ambassador-designate of the French Republic to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago presented his credentials to Her Excellency Christine Carla Kangaloo ORTT, President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago on Tuesday September 30, 2025 at The President’s House.The Ambassador was accompanied by his spouse, Mrs. Emek Pierre and Mr. Franck Josselin, Deputy Head of Mission at the French Embassy.Her Excellency welcomed the Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago and wished him every success in his new post. ... See MoreSee Less

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The Office of the President of the Republic of T&T The Office of the President of the Republic of T&T updated their cover photo.

7 days ago

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The Office of the President of the Republic of T&T

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The Office of the President of the Republic of T&T
This year, 2025, marked the third consecutive year that Their Excellencies Christine Carla Kangaloo ORTT, President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and Kerwyn Garcia SC, First Gentleman have ensured the inclusion of Sixth Form students from schools across Trinidad and Tobago, in the National Awards Ceremony. By reading the biographies of each awardee, the students not only became part of the historic occasion, but also served as a bridge between generations... the future of Trinidad and Tobago saluting the achievements of today. This initiative stems directly from the vision expressed by Her Excellency in her 2023 Inaugural Address, where she spoke of her determination to make The President’s House and the protocols of State more welcoming and accessible—not only to all citizens, but especially to the young people of our nation.🇹🇹🏅💫 We say a special thank you and congratulations to the following students: • Salma Ali of ASJA Girls’ College, San Fernando• Tyreek Alleyne of Scarborough Secondary School• Ciana-Marie Baptiste of Holy Faith Convent, Penal• Nickolas Carrington of Diego Martin Central Secondary School• Dacia Cooper of Rio Claro East Secondary School• Ronaldo Farrell, of Fyzabad Anglican Secondary School• Tariq James of Arima North Secondary School• Danielle Karim of St. Augustine Girls’ High School• Nyvanne Kirk of Speyside High School• Danika Linton of Sixth Form Government School (Polytechnic), St. James• Christiano Mejias of Barrackpore West Secondary School• Serena Patterson of Northeastern College, Sangre Grande• Vaidev Persad of Vishnu Boys’ Hindu College, Caroni• Kelsey-Marie Peters of Carapichaima East Secondary School• Joshua Teesdale of San Fernando Central Secondary School• Nevaeh Walcott of Barataria South Secondary School#NationalAwards2025 #trinidadandtobago #OfficeOfThePresidentTT ... See MoreSee Less

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