About 3 500 vulnerable Saint Lucians will receive cash transfers ahead of storms this year under a new disaster preparedness initiative, while three churches have been granted $10 000 each to bolster community resilience.
The Government has signed two agreements with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to support vulnerable populations before and after emergencies.
The initiative includes the rollout of a system that will deliver targeted, cash-based assistance to high-risk households up to 72 hours before an anticipated crisis or hurricane.
At a pre-Cabinet press briefing on Monday, Minister for Equity, Social Justice and Empowerment Joachim Henry announced that Saint Lucia is the first country in the region to implement the programme, which he described as a model based on anticipatory action and vulnerability risk reduction.
He said about 3,500 persons will be receiving cash this year.
Last week, the government conducted a successful pilot with WFP backing, distributing cash vouchers to 500 randomly selected beneficiaries. “We set the system in place and they received vouchers. Some time this year, if a storm is approaching, 72 hours before it hits, these individuals will be receiving cash transfers,” he said.
To strengthen local resilience, three churches in Castries South-East – the Bexon Roman Catholic Church, L’Abayee SDA, and Sarot SDA Church each received $10 ,000 in aid funding.
“These churches will have the capacity to respond in the event there’s a disaster, [they are] able to provide food to needy persons in the constituency,” the minister said.
The initiative also aims to reduce vagrancy in Castries by providing food assistance within communities.
“If persons can receive food support in their locality, it would reduce the incidents of coming down to the city of Castries because that’s the only place where they are being fed,” Henry said.
Churches are a central element of the programme, he explained, because they are perceived as “an important part of social cohesion in any part of a society”.
He also stressed that distributing aid through faith-based organisations eliminates political bias in the selection process.
“In this way, there is no political interference in who is aided. I, Joachim Henry, have no control over who is given assistance,” he said. “In that way, someone who needs help will not feel anxious about coming to me personally, but can pursue the avenues already available at these churches.”
Who thought this was a good idea?
It’s like you’ll just give up and throwing money at people …… you could have rang the bell to see if we want you’ll at the helm during this hurricane season….
Can I please get my press storm cash to cut those trees by my house