US$160,000 Worth of Supplies Sent By U.S Charity.
PRIME Minister Allen Chastanet used a donation of resources from an American based charity through the Embassy of Taiwan to laud the work of the previous administration and to also extend an “olive branch” in the hope that the two political parties can peacefully coexist as well as work together for the betterment of St. Lucia.
This took place at the Office of the Prime Minister on Wednesday morning during a donation presentation from Los Angeles based NGO, SimplyHelp Foundation through the Taiwanese Embassy.
The NGO is responsible for the donation of a 40 foot container with the value of over US$160,000, consisting of clothing, food, medication, toys and school supplies, which are to be distributed to charity organizations, which will then donate the items to the less fortunate families and individuals island wide.
This is the second year running that the SimplyHelp Foundation has made this donation through the Taiwanese Embassy. In 2015, the organisation donated a 20 foot container filled with items..
Addressing a small group consisting of ministerial personnel, the Taiwanese Ambassador Ray Mou and members of the local media, Chastanet said that through this particular initiative, he recognises that unwittingly, a partnership between his administration and the previous one has been formed.
Although he is aware that the notion might be undermined and dismissed, he said: “The government of St. Lucia shall always remain the government of St. Lucia, but the political parties who are going to provide the policies have always changed. Our day will come too and I hope that whoever supersedes us will say the same things that I am about to say, that [I am grateful] to the former government for supporting this programme and I think this is very much a worthy thing and hopefully, that we’ve all recognised that we can in fact work in cohesion. It doesn’t have to be that political parties are always opposed to each other, and that we can’t find common ground. And I’d like to think that this is a programme that both political parties support. That is also extremely comforting to me that there is this continuity that says ‘things that are good, we shall continue’ and it’s not about who was the champion of it, but the fact is that it’s working effectively and delivering greater results.”
The Prime Minister went on to say that it is common belief that only supporters of the ruling political party of the day are the recipients of charitable donations. However, he vows to dispel that way of thinking by making fair and unbiased donations.
Chastanet spoke about the needs of those for whom the donations are intended. He said the Salvation Army, the churches and NGOs were good places to start the distribution process since “they assist us in identifying who those people are that are the most needy”.
He added: “ Nobody should ever be made to feel less or more vulnerable or that they owe anything to anyone. I think that the transparency and the justice that we talk about ….. is to ensure the equitable distribution and that people see this truly as a gift and not necessarily for anything else…they owe us nothing”
Chastanet said from the government’s standpoint and that of the “generous donors” involved in Wednesday’s donation, the point is for the less fortunate to see that the world does recognise them and that they do care.
He said he is expecting that his government will be held accountable for carrying out all that they vowed to do when elected, especially by the Ministry of Social Transformation whose role it is to provide that impetus in making sure that the government does what it was elected to do.
The PM said: “Like all developing countries around the world, we’re all struggling with equity, which is the distribution of wealth, with justice, and justice is not just about the legal system but it’s about a society that gives equitable access and progress for all people. It is unacceptable that the skills set that a government is supposed to provide to its citizens is not done on an equitable basis. It means that every child regardless of what parentage they have, what’s the economic circumstances of their life, ought to be able to graduate with that equal opportunity to be able to succeed.”
Deputy Director of the Ministry of Social Justice, Donavan Williams spoke of the Prime Minister’s recognition of the ministry for the key roles that it plays in the development of the country as well as for the recognition of the principles of equity, empowerment and social justice, which are all key pillars in determining the type of country that we want to be.
Williams said last year’s donation aided the ministry in providing support to special education centres in Vieux Fort and Soufriere, as well as assisting the work of the Salvation Army, the island’s welfare department, NEMO, numerous after-school programmes and also supporting education to assist children across the island.
Williams said: “We at the Ministry welcome such initiatives. We look forward to continued fruitful collaborations as we seek to identify ways to strengthen the support mechanism for the marginalised and vulnerable.”
Ambassador Mou explained that such initiatives were his country’s way of paying it forward. He said he was honoured to be a part of this gift as his country was once the recipient of much needed help when it was a developing nation.
Having worked closely with the SimplyHelp Foundation for numerous years, the Ambassador said that St. Lucia was his first choice to receive help when the helping hand was extended as an expression of goodwill of the Taiwanese people.
He said: “My government is emphasising humanitarian diplomacy from the bottom of our hearts through other governments. The previous government led by President Ma initiated many meaningful actions trying to help all the disaster relief and humanitarian activities such as the earthquake in Haiti in 2010, the hurricane in the Commonwealth of Dominica 2015, the Nepal earthquake, the hurricane in the Philippines and also the earthquake in Japan March 11, three years ago. So Taiwan has been doing everything we can, helping our neighbouring countries and our ally countries.”
One of the recipients of last year’s donation, the Salvation Army, was present to give the vote of thanks for this year’s shipment.
Captain Derrick Mitchell said last year, over 800 parcels were distributed island wide by his organization. He said he was happy with the strong relationship existing between the Army and the Ministry of Social Transformation and beyond grateful for the aid received.
Captain Mitchell implored the nation to step up in a team effort to end poverty: He said: “Brothers, Sisters, the task is a mammoth task. If we are to eliminate poverty in St. Lucia, all of us have to get on board and I want to say a special thank you to our Prime Minister who, when I met him three weeks ago, he made it clear that he will definitely be supporting the Salvation Army and the other NGOs in our fight to eliminate poverty here in St. Lucia.”
Speaking on behalf of the foundation was Communications Officer in the Office of the Prime Minister, Claudia Monlouis. She explained the mission and workings of the NGO which was to relieve poverty by providing emergency relief, vocational training and shelter and care for the homeless and elderly. Their purpose was to work to empower people living in poverty so they can sustain themselves and their families in their own environment.
