Published: 5th of October, 2025 by Patrick Carpen
Last updated: October 6, 2025 at 4:57 amThis powerful piece of writing was gleaned from the Facebook Page of Guyanese animal advocate Varsha Ramlakhan. In it she confronts head-on one of the greatest ills of modern society, a reality which many choose to pay little attention to. Her writing is profound and inspires change. It calls us to reflect on our ways of thinking and acting both as individuals and a society as a whole.
It Takes a Village to Raise a Child…But…by Varsha Ramlakhan
Growing up I always heard the saying, “It takes a village to raise a child.” And it’s true — but most times, that village only shows up for the child who already has everything. The one who’s loved, supported, and comes from a stable home.
The children who actually need the village — the ones who need someone to look out for them, guide them, or just show a little care — those are the ones we usually turn a blind eye to. Those are the kids who grow up feeling alone, carrying pain they never asked for. Some end up lost, hurt, or called a “disgrace to the family.”
But there are also those few who refused to let their circumstances define them. They gave up their childhood to become the breadwinner — not because they wanted to, but because they had to. They went to school hungry, sick wasn’t an option, and what they wanted to eat was never a question — it was just whatever was there, if anything at all.
Some of them had parents who chose new partners over their own kids, leaving them to face life on their own. And then, when those same children finally make something of themselves, the village suddenly knows them. When they die young, the same village that ignored them starts to cry. But why now? Where were you when they needed you?
A 15 year old lad lost his life yesterday over a slipped bicycle chain by the hands of his stepfather. Apparently he was living all over trying to survive as well. His village failed him! It is sad that he did not get to experience life. May his soul rest in peace.
So I’m challenging this Facebook community — don’t turn your back on a child just because they come from struggle. Don’t treat them differently because their clothes aren’t fancy or their lunch bag is empty. Those are the children who need you the most. Be that village — not just in words, but in action.
Text Credit: Varsha Ramlakhan via Facebook
