Blog

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The UK-SVG Friendship Trust has teamed up with the St. Vincent Cooperative Bank as its local partner to assure the framework for the disbursement of its EC$ 800,000 La Soufriere Volcanic Eruption Recovery Assistance Programme.

The UK based Trust has engaged the bank due to its long-standing commitment to the country as one of the oldest indigenous banks. The “penny bank” with its strong roots in local communities will act to ensure that all funds spent locally are accounted for and that the programme delivers for its intended beneficiaries.

The UK-SVG friends is comprised of over 7000 donors in the UK. Collectively, they have so far contributed more than £250,000 in a campaign launched on the GoFundMe platform which was supported by the SVG High Commission. The Fund will have three components, (1) A specific sum to be transferred to the Government’s volcanic relief fund (2) A portion to be reserved for assisting persons who were evacuated and are returning home on advice from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (3) Purchase of items for immediate needs for those in shelters and those staying with families or friends.

According to Chairman of trustees Cenio Lewis, “the funding framework for the programme is to provide for the relief of hardship by persons directly impacted and displaced by the La Soufriere Volcanic eruption particularly those evacuated from the red zones. The Trust is especially concerned about the plight of women, girls and persons living with disabilities and those who are otherwise at high risk.”

Lewis further indicated that “as far as practicable, the Trust intends to directly procure food and personal care items in St. Vincent and the Grenadines to boost the local economy with particular attention to small enterprises. Given the double challenge of dampened economic activity due to the Covid-19 pandemic and now the eruption of the La Soufriere volcano, we wish to do our part to keep the economy afloat as we respond to individuals in most need.”

Executive Director of the St. Vincent Cooperative Bank Mr Albert Porter has welcomed the partnership stating that “this is an interesting time in the country’s history and the bank is pleased to be playing a pivotal role in helping to bring people back on their feet in partnership with the UK-SVG Friendship Trust. The bank stands in solidarity with the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and will help to rebuild the nation in whatever way possible”

Mr. Porter also highlighted that “The St. Vincent co-operative bank is known as the peoples bank because of its good track record of accountability, trust and a people centric focus. It is because of this we can forge these types of partnerships to ensure that those who are most in need can have access to the help they deserve.

The La Soufriere volcano began erupting explosively on April 9, 2021 after months of continued effusive eruptions which began on December 27, 2020. The explosive eruptions have led to the displacement of thousands of people who live near the volcano and have significantly destroyed agriculture and infrastructure, mainly in the northern region of St. Vincent.

Please continue to follow us on our social media platforms for further updates.

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The SVG Red Cross is set to receive a 40ft container from the Caribbean Veterans Community and the Royal Navy Association for distribution to individuals and communities affected by the La Soufriere volcanic eruption. The container will be carrying 32 pallets of aid including mattresses, hospital mattresses, medical supplies, PPE, sanitary products, health care workers uniforms, children clothing and activity kits, hand sanitisers and toiletries. Recognising the urgent need for these relief supplies, the Trust is paying the shipping and handling fees from the UK to St. Vincent ensuring that we collaborate with like-minded organisations as part of our disaster relief mandate. 

Help us reach £250K!

We are now closer than ever before to reaching our £250,000 target that was set only 3 weeks ago! Over 7000 donors have contributed to the success of our funding appeal and we are grateful for your support. Now, we must work together for that last big push to get over the finish line!  At the time of writing, we need a further £2,252.00. We can get there if you commit as little as £5 or ask a friend to tell a friend to be a friend! If you know someone who hasn’t donated then please reach out by sharing our GoFundMe page https://gofund.me/90dbdc94 along with our blog at the following link Blog – UK SVG Friendship Trust detailing what we are doing with your hard earned money that is gifted to us.

What’s next?

We know that the road ahead will be long so while we will reflect on the achievement of crossing the £250K mark soon, we are cognisant that the road to recovery will be bumpy as we approach the hurricane season next month. We are not sure what the recovery will look like or how long it will take. What is certain is that the needs of our families and friends will move beyond nutrition. In a prolonged crisis, the mental health and well-being of everyone including responders through psychosocial support must be prioritised. Our children must also not be left behind. We are happy that many individuals who work in this space has reached out to us to help create initiatives to tackle this problem.

The UK-SVG Friendship Trust will be on the front line for the duration of the crisis with your continued help. We doubly commit to you that our aid will benefit the people directly affected and/or displaced by the volcanic eruption.

We wish to see more of you on our social media pages as it helps us to keep you updated. Join us using any of our links found here: @UKSVGFRIENDS | Linktree

#PrayForSVG #HelpSVG #StrongerTogether #IdonatedtoSVG #UKSVGFriendsTogether 

Many donors who are giving to our cause have been sharing their motivation on the GoFundMe platform or have been directly emailing us. 

As we see the messages on a daily basis, we can’t help but share the sentiments and the emotions as expressed which fortifies our resolve to see our mission through. 

So, whether you have contributed £2500 as top donor John or £1600 as Leif or simply 9 days of giving £20 as Yvonne has been doing, we know that you have been moved by the circumstances at home in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. 

Below are some of the reasons why our donors have shared this journey with us: 

Angela – “Volcano, Ash fallout, Flood, Mudslide. You need some peace. Hope it calms soon.” 

Paul- “I donated because an old schoolfriend Gaius Douglas shared this gofundme page, well done Gaius!” 

Rose- “This is a donation on behalf of my mother-in-law , Rose Sawh, who thinks all Vincentians are lovely.” 

Mayowa- “Praying for immediate and longer term relief for all affected. Thanks to my friend ECU, a proud British Vincie for telling me so much over the years, about this beautiful island. God bless” 

Michael- “I saw a video on the BBC website today (26 April) where an UN Official said that St Vincent could soon be facing a humanitarian disaster, as it’s nearly hurricane season, on top of the ash decimating crops. It’s heartbreaking to see.” 

Richard- “Charity begins at home and we strongly believe that it would be a denial of justice for us not to stretch out a helping hand to the people of Saint Vincent, in their hour of need. This donation has been made on behalf of the members of Abner Lodge No. 81, London.) 

Carolyn- “My Vincentian people are some of the most warm and caring people on Earth. At this time of crisis and tragedy that care will be wrapped back around you from near and far. Our thoughts are constantly with you. To the beloved land of my birth, from Carolyn, Ole and Jann” 

Malika- “I have donated because this means a lot as a Caribbean woman and a human being and I want to help in any way I can” 

David- “My wife and I visited SVG a couple of years ago and were blown away by the beauty of the island, and the friendliness of the people we encountered. We wish you good luck in the coming weeks and months… and hope some normality is restored soon…” 

Frances- “This should have far more mainstream news exposure 🙁 it’s shocking that the only way the UK knows about this is from social media” 

Whatever the reasons, our hearts are united and our faith will see us through this situation. 

Thank you to all our donors and those who have shared this link or simply raised it as part of your daily conversation.  

#PrayForSVG #HelpSVG #StrongerTogether #IdonatedtoSVG #UKSVGFriendsTogether 

Four times Olympian for Team GB announced this week on LinkedIn that she is now an official Ambassador for the UK-SVG Friendship Trust.

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As a British Vincentian, Donna will continue to use her platform to support our La Soufriere Volcanic Eruption – Recovery Assistance Programme (SVG-RAP) which aims to assist families and friends directly impacted and displaced due to the ongoing eruption.

Our team is ecstatic to work alongside this great champion!

Your donations will help to reach those in need and with Donna’s support, we will ensure that our women, young girls and those living with disabilities are given greater attention.

Remember to share our GoFundMe campaign link and find us on your favourite social media platform by searching for @uksvgfriends.

#StrongerTogether #UKSVGFriends#IdonatedtoSVG#DonatetoSVG

Dear Donor,

Overnight, we successfully crossed the £225K mark which means we have achieved 90% of our target. With only 10% to go, we need your help! 

You have joined 7000 others who have donated to our cause and we wish to enlist you to find 7000 new donors.  

What can you do? 

Step 1: Renew your commitment by donating any amount from £1. 

Step 2: let’s make the hashtag #Idonated2SVG go viral. 

Step 3: Share the news to all your friends and colleagues.   

If you recruit one other person then we will achieve our target in record time which means that we can help more of our friends and families in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. 

We have committed to spending the funds raised in St. Vincent. This ensures that critical supplies reach beneficiaries in a timely manner while also boosting the local economy which has been doubly affected with reduced demand caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. 

We are seeking to work with local businesses particularly small wholesalers and other enterprises to purchase goods that will be distributed to our partner organisations in St Vincent and the Grenadines.  

Thank you for being on this journey with us! 

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This week we have helped even more people on the ground including a donation of 1,500 Sanitary pad packs to the Ministry of National Mobilisation, Social Development, the Family, Gender Affairs, Youth Housing and Informal Settlement to buffer their various welfare interventions. This is on top of the 3,000 Sanitary packs and 300 food care packages distributed – you can see images in the gallery above.

But we have also sent off a Shipment from the UK this week including donations purchased by an Amazon Wish List link which was created by Mina, a member of our donor community. Mina was inspired to create the Wish List by Ava Vidal who had previously created a Wish List for another crisis. She appreciated that those wanting to donate would appreciate the ease and wanted to do her bit to ensure that St. Vincent and the Grenadines got the support it needed during this terrible time.

Mina’s Amazon Wish List generated £2,673 worth of much needed donations and the UK-SVG Friendship Trust are very grateful to her for all her efforts to raise awareness and donations for the La Soufrière Volcano Recovery Assistance Programme. You can see some of what was purchased in this video:

These donations have been shipped along with other emergency aid contributions. We would like to give a heartfelt thanks to Waypoint Shipping, SVG High Commission, Geest Line NCSVGA, volunteers, donors and fundraisers once again.

For further updates on how the funds are being spent and where your donations are going, please check our social media links here: https://linktr.ee/UKSVGFRIENDS

Please like, share and comment on our updates because we want to hear from you.

#HelpSVG #StrongerTogether #LaSoufriereEruption #UKSVGGofundme #DonatetoSVG

 

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We were very heartened to see the resilience painted across the faces of Vincentians including children who have received direct aid packages from us. 

Families who have received care packages have sent pictures and voice notes expressing their gratitude to you the donors. We will not be able to respond so effectively without your continued support. 

We want to share the journey with you so please visit our social media platforms and subscribe to all our channels to get daily updates to see the smiles you are bringing to the faces of families across the country.  

Please like, share and comment on our stories. Our social media links can be found here: https://linktr.ee/UKSVGFRIENDS 

Alternatively, simply search @uksvgfriends across your favourite platform.  

Yesterday, our team on the ground in St. Vincent provided rapid response that benefitted over 300 persons, majority of whom were women and children.

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As we celebrate passing the £200,000 mark today, we are cognisant that the need across the country is growing daily. The campaign must continue and intensify over the coming weeks as the natural disaster shock will have repercussions for household economies in the long term.

Many of our children have been away from the classroom due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic which was further exacerbated by the volcano eruption. We will let you know what we intend to do in this regard.

In the mean time, our beneficiaries wish to thank you. You can hear from them by visiting our YouTube channel following the link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_gW2VishFvQ-d1_02_oCFg
Alternatively, search for uksvgfriends.

Remember to follow us on your favourite social media platform using our handle @uksvgfriends to receive updates, interviews and see the faces of those who are blessed to receive your generous contributions.

Continue to like, share and donate as we work to bring relief to those most in need.