The Saint Lucia Air and Sea Ports Authority (SLASPA), on Thursday afternoon, made a cheque presentation to the Ministry of Education at the Authority’s Conference Room on Manoel Street.
This initiative stemmed from the Saint Lucia Air and Sea Port Authority’s ongoing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and the drive to support youth development through education.
During a recent brain-storming session of the Authority’s Business Development and Corporate Communications department, it was observed that there are many children island-wide who lack the financial means to acquire the books, uniforms and other items required to start the new school term.
The idea was then brought to SLASPA’s senior management who gave the initiative an unequivocal green light. Subsequently, discussions were held with the Ministry of Education who were excited and grateful for the partnership with SLASPA and instrumental in guiding the Authority on the selection of the students.
Speaking at Thursday’s ceremony, Deputy Chief Education Officer for Instruction, Mrs. Rufina Charles said, “On behalf of the Department of Education and Gender Relations, I just want to say a big thank you to SLASPA for thinking of our students. We know that the more students are able to get support, the better they are able to achieve and to learn and so we are happy that SLASPA collaborated with the ministry of education to give us and our students the support they need to move forward.”
Prior to presenting the cheque, Mr. Ben Emmanuel, Senior Manager- Strategic Initiatives, added: “It is a pleasure for me on behalf of our General Manager Keigan Cox and on behalf of SLASPA to be part of this as SLASPA once again demonstrates our commitment to the youth as part of our Corporate Social Responsibility Program. We are extremely delighted not only for the opportunity to give back to education but more importantly, for the first time we are establishing through this initiative a direct partnership between SLASPA and the Ministry of Education.”
It should be noted that this is just the first of such initiatives / collaborations with the Ministry of Education. On an annual basis, SLASPA has a firmly rooted scholarship program where students of SLASPA employees are provided with scholarships which have significantly assisted them throughout their secondary and tertiary years.