Category: La Soufriere

WE ARE REBRANDING!

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The new SVG Friendship Foundation (UK) logo

Over the next few weeks, the UK-SVG Friendship Trust will be overhauling its structures to provide better governance and accountability to our stakeholders. We are now the SVG Friendship Foundation (UK). This model will allow our operations to meet the highest regulatory standards set by the UK Charity Commission. Our aim is to give donors and other stakeholders the confidence in our ability to apply sound financial management, reporting and stakeholder engagement in all our undertakings.  

Adopting the Foundation model will also allow us to open membership to a broader cadre of Vincentians and friends of SVG with the talent, skills and passion to help us achieve our charitable objectives.  

The UK-SVG Friendship Trust was registered on 3rd August 2020 in the United Kingdom as a private limited company by guarantee to pursue various charitable objectives. The overriding objective was to promote and provide for the advancement of education, youth, community and sustainable development, health and well-being, sports and culture in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. 

Over the past year, the Trust responded positively to the explosive eruption of the La Soufriere volcano. We have so far disbursed over EC$500,000 in assistance to the Government and people of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines through our SVG La Soufriere Recovery Assistance Programme. We intend to continue to render support to communities affected by the volcanic eruption particularly children and women. 

The SVG Friendship Foundation (UK) is led by Chairman of Trustees H.E. Cenio lewis. Other Trustees are Mr Steve Maingot, Mr Berton Samuel and Mr Adaiah Providence-Culzac. 

ONE YEAR ON, UK-SVG FRIENDSHIP TRUST EXTENDS HELP TO WOMEN AND CHILDREN

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Video of UK-SVG Friendship Trust supporting St. Vincent and the Grenadines over the last year.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines continues its long journey to recover from the explosive volcanic eruption a year ago. April 9th  2022 marks the one-year anniversary since the eruption of the La Soufriere volcano which disrupted the lives and livelihoods of citizens forcing thousands into shelters across the country.

Whilst the country has returned to some level of normalcy, there are still many whose lives remain at a standstill in shelters or in alternative living arrangements across the island. 

The UK-SVG Friendship Trust has continued to work with its trusted local partners including, the St. Vincent Cooperative Bank and local representative Mr Darrien Ollivierre to bring targeted relief to many. This week, we are pleased to have helped RedRoot SVG Inc with food supplies to augment their support to vulnerable women in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

The organisation in a statement said that the Trust “contributions will go a long way toward aiding women and children in St Vincent and the Grenadines.”

Further, we recently partnered with the Government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, particularly the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to offer bursaries to children to help on their educational journey. Working with the St. Vincent Cooperative Bank Ltd, bursary recipients have also been offered vouchers to become savers at that indigenous financial institution. 

Trust ​Director and Administrator Mr Adaiah Providence-Culzac reflecting on the partnership with the bank said that:

“The UK-SVG Friendship Trust values its partnership with the St. Vincent Co-operative Bank Ltd which was forged in response to assuring our donors and stakeholders of our commitment to accountability and transparency. A year on, I anticipate that our continued partnership will redound to the benefit of communities across Saint Vincent and the Grenadines particularly our children and women.”

“This bursary initiative which features access to the bank’s penny savers account for recipients underscores our belief that alongside financial support, our children must be taught the principles of savings, financial management and financial literacy at an early age.”

The UK-SVG Friendship Trust remains committed to the people of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in the long term and will launch new programmes and initiatives in the Summer to achieve its various charitable objectives. 

St. Vincent and the Grenadines Government receives EC$330,000 from UK-SVG Friendship Trust

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The UK-SVG Friendship Trust is pleased to present this substantial sum of Three hundred and thirty thousand EC dollars (EC$330,000) to the Government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines as part of our ongoing commitment to help with the relief efforts following the series of volcanic eruptions which have had an adverse impact on lives and livelihoods in the country.

The Trust recognizes that this is a challenging time for the government to provide for the needs of everyone who have been affected, not only by the volcanic eruption but also by the corona virus pandemic.  We are aware of the country’s vulnerability to natural disasters evidenced only a few weeks ago by Hurricane Elsa. Thus, the Trust has step forward to support the Government to assist those under its care at shelters across the country and wherever possible to provide further support to those who are leaving shelters to restart their lives.

The Trust partnered with the SVG High Commission, the National Council of St. Vincent and the Grenadines Association UK and over 7000 donors to raise the funds being distributed today. It is the intention of the Trust to make further contributions in the near future to help those persons who have been displaced and are returning to their homes.

We have been particularly concerned about the plight of women, girls and persons living with disabilities and those who are otherwise at high risk. Working with the St. Vincent Cooperative Bank who has joined us to assure our local spending procedure, we have already been able to provide direct support to over 500 individuals through local partnerships including the Ministry of National Mobilization, Soroptimist International SVG, Je Belle Football Club and the Voice of the Disabled.

The Trust with the co-operation of the diaspora is committed to assist in the long-term recovery ahead and would continue to do all that it can to support Vincentians who have been affected by the recent events.

The Trust would wish to thank all Vincentians in the diaspora and friends of St Vincent and the Grenadines for their generous contribution to assist those in need.

The UK-SVG Friendship Trust is a not-for-profit organization based in the UK chaired by Mr Cenio Lewis. The other trustees are Mr Adaiah Providence-Culzac and Mr Steve Maingot. Mr Darrien Ollivierre is the Trust’s local representative.

Voice of the Disabled receives initial assistance

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Over the past week we have been working with President of Voice of the Disabled Mrs Cheryl Adams to deliver much needed support to those most vulnerable who are not able to access resources on their own.

Mrs Adams, a visually impaired teacher at the School for Children with Special Needs in Georgetown has helped us to identify the most urgent needs and challenges facing persons living with a disability in the north-eastern part of the country.

The Trust had made an initial donation of food items including snacks, juices, and canned food. This week, the organisation will receive further assistance to help with food care packages and personal hygiene.

We remain committed to our mandate to provide assistance to those often left behind. The UK-SVG Friendship Trust will lead the charge working with the third sector to meet the needs of those displaced and impacted by the eruption of the La Soufriere volcano.

Continue to support our efforts and follow our social media pages @uksvgfriends for regular updates.

Our Ambassador Donna Fraser OBE OLY thanks and reflects 2 months on from the eruptions!

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2 months ago today the La Soufrière Volcano in St. Vincent and the Grenadines erupted and started a sequence of events that displaced many and caused a crisis across the islands. Today our ambassador Donna Fraser looks back at what we have done with your help to #SupportSVG and also looks ahead whilst expressing how vital it is that we keep up momentum and not forget that our islands still need our help.

Please watch the video, share and continue to #BeVocalforSVG.

If you would like to support the continued work of the UK-SVG Friendship Trust  you can make a donation here: https://paypal.me/uksvgfriends

Follow @uksvgfriends on all social media to see what we have been working on with your donations so far and to stay updated on what we will be doing next.

Appeal for support for 2yr Football programme for Vincentian young people in the Red Zone

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The UK-SVG Friendship Trust is delighted to be partnering with a local football club in St. Vincent called Je Belle FC. As partners we will support 75 children under the age of 13 as part of our psycho-social programme. The male and female footballers, all of whom are from the red zones will receive two years of support initially.

Help us by purchasing football boots suitable for hard grass surface. The details of what is required is in the image above.

You can ship directly to:

UK SVG FRIENDS

173 ST. NICHOLAS AVE

GOSPORT

PO13 9RJ

So help us get our young Vincentians active and engaged in Team sport so that they receive vital psycho-social support!

Alternatively you can make a monetary donation and/or share this blog post to show your support today: https://paypal.me/uksvgfriends

Psycho-social support for the Children with #UKSVGFriend Summer Crash Academy

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We are committed to the young people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines! So we were delighted to team up with Summer Crash Academy Inc to provide psycho-social support to 7–12 year old children, who have been impacted or displaced due to the volcanic eruptions of La Soufriere.

Summer Crash Academy Incorporated is an organization that offers structured programs designed to meet the humanistic and psychological developmental needs of children. Their mobile workshops are essential psycho-social support to help the children. During the program students were kept meaningfully and gainfully occupied in creative arts and interactive presentations with the facilitator. Parents were also given tips on how to monitor their children whilst online.

The mobile workshops took place over a period of four days and was held at the following locations; Kingstown Preparatory School, Bethel High School, Buccament Bay Secondary and the Barrouallie Government School.

Children were exposed to a wealth of information which they can utilize not only for the present circumstance; but during the tenure of their lives.  They learnt various skills and were actively engaged in the crafts they were taught. The facilitators were versed in specific areas and were creative with their approach; as well as producing items with the resources which were available. All resources were well managed and the children and parents were appreciative of this initiative. This is just one initiative that shows that together we can do so much more!

We will be announcing more initiatives over the coming weeks as we endeavour to keep our donors informed of how the Trust is supporting St. Vincent.

Please continue to support us through sharing our content or by making a donation directly to the Trust via PayPal here: https://paypal.me/uksvgfriends

#StrongerTogether #SVGNextGen #thankyoudonors #SupportSVG #Keepdonating #UKSVGPayPal 

EVACUEES AT MARRIAQUA GOVERNMENT SCHOOL BENEFIT FROM THE TRUST

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105 persons sheltered at the Marriaqua Government school benefitted from a partnership between the UK-SVG Friendship Trust and Nic’s Catering. 

Ms Nicole Browne of Nic’s Catering served up a sumptuous menu of rice and peas, green salad, creamed plantain, provisions, pasta in tomato sauce and braised chicken yesterday as part of our La Soufriere Volcanic Eruption Recovery Assistance Programme. 

This evening, 26 individuals at a separate shelter will have their dinners catered for as the programme increases in intensity in the coming days and weeks ahead.

The Trust looks forward to extending its relationship with Nic’s Catering to bring further relief to evacuees. Ms Browne has been volunteering her culinary skills since the start of the explosive eruption just over a month ago. 

#UKSVGFriendsTogether #SupportStVincent

More than a month on – St. Vincent humanitarian crisis

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La Soufrière volcano is active, hurricane season has begun, what lies ahead for the country of St. Vincent and the Grenadines?

On Friday 9th April the La Soufrière Volcano in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, began erupting and started the beginning of what has become a humanitarian crisis as declared by the UN. The volcano has erupted numerous times since, expelling ash into the air which has blanketed the island and destroyed crops, property, water supplies and infrastructure. Flooding and landslides began with the onset of the hurricane season, so the situation has got worse almost a month on in this, a commonwealth country.

  • 19% of the population (20,000 people) have been displaced from their homes in what was the high alert and extremely dangerous Red Zone, the area closest to the volcano – NEMO SVG
  • The economy and jobs which highly depends on tourism and agriculture is suffering further on top of the pandemic, due to the natural disasters.
  • Before the floods and landslides the cost of recovery was forecast to be an estimated 50% of the country’s GDP according to Channel 4’ sources. What will the cost be now?

UK- SVG Friendship Trust is working with the St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) High Commission in the UK to fundraise and galvanise support and assistance for the Volcano and flood hit island. With the long road to recovery ahead we and our ambassador Donna Fraser OBE, would like to drive further awareness and engagement in the UK with your help.

We have been working with partners on the ground to provide support and have started to spend in St. Vincent on much needed aid to meet immediate needs with a focus on high risk groups such as young people, the disabled community and women. This week we made a big step as we partnered with the St. Vincent Cooperative Bank, one of the oldest indigenous banks. We have deposited a substantial amount of funds in St. Vincent to enable us to be more agile in providing financial support to projects on the ground.

Education and supporting getting our children back on track after a double-hit of the pandemic and natural disaster will have affected their progress, is also a major priority. We are committed to supporting St. Vincent in the short and long-term and we ask our donors and friends to continue to talk about the crisis, share content relating to the crisis and the recovery, put on fundraisers and donate to support the recovery. We must maintain momentum so that St Vincent can rise again.

So please continue to support us in our efforts in whatever way you can through sharing our blog posts, liking and sharing our social media content or continuing to donate if you can. You can find all our social media links and donate link here: @UKSVGFRIENDS | Linktree

St. Vincent Cooperative Bank partners with UK-SVG Friends for SVG relief efforts

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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.