Some residents of northern St. Vincent have received EC$3,000 vouchers each towards the repair of their homes following the eruption of La Soufriere.
The 54 residents of North Windward and North Leeward are benefiting from an initiative involving Rotary Family, St. George Lodge and their supporting partners across the region.
The vouchers are valid for three months and are redeemable at Coreas Hazells Inc.
Rotary Assistant Governor to St. Vincent, Shafia London told a virtual ceremony on Tuesday that Coreas Hazells Inc. was willing to partner on the project from the inception.
The company has subsidised the cost of materials and will provide logistical support by distributing the materials to the recipients.
“Having these homes repaired increases the opportunity for displaced families to re-established strong economic and cultural ties,” London said.
She said the donors would double the voucher assistance to an elderly female from Chateaubelair who lives alone and is immobile.
In addition, the partners would undertake the repairs of that home.
The total cost of the project is EC$170,000.
St. George Lodge contributed EC$55,000 to the effort.
Trevor Thompson, representative of St. George Lodge said that the Grand Lodge of Barbados and other Lodges in the district responded to the first call of the Government and people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines in their time of need.
The first of the “three phased” undertakings saw displaced persons in the shelters being assisted with food, water and cleaning supplies, according to a priority list from National Emergency Management Organisation and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency.
The second phase — “cleaning and clearing” — saw the distribution of cleaning materials including shovels and buckets in the volcano red and orange zones, after people returned to their homes.
The third phase was “restoration and reconstruction”.
“We recognised that the restoration needs to the persons affected are in many ways far greater than the minimal sum of EC$3,000 that each person will receive today.” Thompson said.
He said St. George Lodge and the district will continue to make further contributions to ensure that many homes are restored.
(So) This was the Rotary-club and not the government generosity. People continue dependent on handouts but don’t get real jobs so that they can see about themselves and their families. Another failure by the Gonsalves posse