The main opposition New Democratic Party (NDP) said Wednesday it will give out EC$100,000 in bursaries to students affected by the passage of Hurricane Beryl on July 1.
Opposition Leader and NDP President, Godwin Friday told a press conference in Kingstown that the NDP has been playing its part after the storm and will continue to do so.
He outlined four specific initiatives of the party in response to the disaster as people “look to for answers and for assistance.
“And those of us in the opposition in the Parliament, fulfilling our duty as part of our systems of the structure of government, we have put forward these four initiatives,” Friday said.
He said the EC$100,000 in back-to-school bursaries will go to children directly affected by the hurricane.
“We know presently in the immediate aftermath, people are sending clothing and food and so forth, but somewhere down the line, next two or three months, parents will start turning to get their kids back to school, back to their future.”
He said the NDP has decided to focus on raising funds to create bursaries to assist those students directly affected by the disaster.
“We have set a target of $100,000 and we’re expecting that there will be contributions and donations to that. If we raise $200,000, all the better, because they will go to the purpose intended,” the opposition leader said.
The second initiative is that the NDP has set up a centre at its headquarters on Murray’s Road to receive and distribute disaster relief supplies.
“We did this very effectively during the eruption of La Soufriere volcano,” he said, referring to the April 2021 eruption of the volcano, which displaced some 20,000 people, about one-fifth of the nation’s population.
“We know how to do it. So, I’ve tasked the General Secretary, Mr. Brenton Smith, and the other persons whom he mobilises and of course, our colleague, Major [St. Clair] Leacock, who has tremendous experience in this area,” Friday said.
Leacock, a former commandant of the SVG Cadet Force, was in charge of evacuation after the 1979 eruption of La Soufriere.
Friday said that the team will also include NDP chairman, West Kingstown MP Daniel Cummings and other people who assisted during the volcano eruption “to provide the systems in place to ensure that we do this collection and distribution of supplies effectively, that those persons will continue to lead that process.
“I have every confidence in them,” he said and urged people who have been contacting him and other NDP representatives about providing assistance to send them to the party headquarters.
“And we will make sure that these supplies get to the people who need them most and that they are done in a speedy, transparent manner,” the opposition leader said.
Friday said that the third initiative is that the NDP will receive donations, for example, through a GoFundMe initiative to raise funds for assisting with supplies and rebuilding of homes and businesses.
“Because we know this is going to be a long-term project and though the government has a primary responsibility to assist, it is not always done to the extent needed and in the timeframe that those persons affected would like to see it done. So we will also initiate the raising of funds to assist in those recovery efforts.”
Friday said that the NDP will continue to visit the communities hit by the hurricane.
“We started the very day of the hurricane. We were out and about. I in my community in Bequia, seeing the damage that was done, and that continues, because, of course, we can’t cover everything in that space of time. And we will continue to visit those persons and give them the assurance that they’re not alone.
“And even after two or three weeks or a month has gone, because they haven’t heard from somebody in government saying this is what’s going to happen, we will continue to advocate on their behalf.
“Because we will come and see what is happening with you and give you that assurance that you will get the assistance you need to recover,” the opposition leader said.
The bursaries to assist those students directly affected by Beryl are exactly the kind of very specific, timely news about practical relief that parents in the Southern Grenadines need to hear. I’ve been very concerned that many high schools have simply gone ahead with their usual school registration communiques, which do not recognize, show compassion for or allow concessions for the challenges many students will face in producing the required paperwork and fees. I’m not suggesting these folks are lacking in compassion but simply that their communications must very clearly articulate that compassion and the concessions they are prepared to make. No crisis is a good time for tone-deaf “business as usual” communications that strike deeply on exposed nerves.