The St Maarten Tzu Chi Foundation got a first-hand glimpse into the havoc Hurricane Beryl wreaked on St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) when a relief team of volunteers from St Maarten joined by a team from the Taiwan embassy visited the destination on September 4, to distribute about 1,000 packages of relief supplies to affected families.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, who welcomed the volunteers, thanked the foundation for its continuous support since the 2021 La Soufrière volcanic eruptions and expressed hope that all Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) put their efforts together to help the SVG islands.
Tzu Chi’s visit to SVG was to help with the distribution of two 20ft containers both containing US $54,375 worth of essential food items to help families in need in wake of hurricane Beryl. The containers were shipped from St Maarten on August 21, and August 22, 2024, and arrived in St Vincent on August 27.
The two containers contained a combined total of 1,000 bags of rice; 500 bags of flour; 4,000 packs of pasta; 4,000 packs of dried peas; 1,000 bags of brown sugar; 2,000 bottles of cooking oil; 1,000 bags of soap powder; 1,000 plastic basins and 3,500 bottles of drinking water.
The first container, which contained relief items for 500 families, went to affected families in three islands in the Grenadines: 300 families in Union Island; 120 families in Canouan and 80 families in Mayreau.
PHILIPSBURG:---The relief items in the second containers went to 167 families affiliated with the Park Hill Evangelical Church; 167 families from the Northeastern section of St. Vincent’s Langley Park, Georgetown, and four villages: Fancy, Owia, Pointe, and Sandy Bay. Relief packages were also for 167 families (which were distributed by Dr. Mineva Glasgow); the Roland Hill Shelter, Rillan Hill, Campden Park, Gibson Corner, Questelles, Clare Valley, Penniston and Vermont.
Each family received one 10kg bag of Love Rice from Tzu Chi Taiwan, one 25lb bag of flour, four 1lb packs of pasta, four 1lb packs of dried peas, one 2kg pack of brown sugar, two 1kg bottles of cooking oil, six 1 litre bottles of drinking water, one 1kg bag of soap powder, and one bucket or plastic basin.
The St Maarten Tzu Chi relief team, consisting of Commissioner Sandra Cheung, her husband Kit Wing Cheung, Commissioner Jane Sanchez and volunteers Chino Egidio Lusia and Martin Rudolph, embarked on their first day of distribution the day after arriving in SVG, September 5. The team was accompanied by the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, five local volunteers, and seven volunteers from the Taiwanese Embassy when they traveled to Union Island, Canouan, and Mayreau via ferry.
Cheung said the destruction witnessed was devastating. In Union Islands, an estimated 90% of the private homes and dwellings were heavily damaged. Following the disaster, the majority of affected families relocated to mainland shelters.
Prime Minister Gonsalves and Taiwan Ambassador Fiona Huei-Chun Fan were on hand to welcome Tzu Chi when the team arrived on Union Island, where an estimated 98% of the homes were damaged and there was limited water and electricity supply. This, coupled with the extreme heat, made the situation for affected families dire. Ambassador Fan delivered a brief introduction about Tzu Chi, which originated in Taiwan. Prime Minister Gonsalves was grateful for the assistance noting that Tzu Chi and Taiwan are greatly supporting the islands. He is cognizant of the foundation’s assistance to the island since the volcanic eruptions of 2021. Tzu Chi went door to door in Union Island to distribute the relief packages.
When the second container was released by the St Vincent Port Authority on Monday, September 9, the team went straight into action, braving rainy weather to offload the container while carefully preventing the items from getting wet. The items were then delivered for distribution to the various areas on September 10 and 11: the Chauncey Methodist Church Hall, Rolland Hill Shelter, Park Hill Evangelical Church, and Langley Park Georgetown (northeastern of SVG).
Recipients were grateful for the assistance received. Conroy Huggins, who was at the Park Hill Church distribution, said he has been engaged with Tzu Chi for the past three years since the Foundation assisted after the volcanic eruption. Huggins said he is very happy to see that a team from St Maarten has now visited St. Vincent and the Grenadines to personally assist in the distribution of aid after another disaster on the island.
One grateful recipient, Ivan, said he is proud to see that the foundation is assisting residents, and he is thankful to the foundation for lending a helping hand.
A Park Hill villager extended thanks to Tzu Chi Founder, Master Chen Yen, and the Tzu Chi Foundation for the relief provided. “We are delighted and grateful for what was received and our hearts are touched with your outreach program. May god continue to bless you and the foundation in giving,” said the villager.
A Vincent and the Grenadines native, who volunteered at the Langley Park Georgetown distribution center said: “Thank you for your love and compassion from over the seas coming here to share with the people who are in need.
167 households were supposed to be fed, but over 300 households were helped with the little that we had. Little by little we are growing like that tree,” said the volunteer.
Cheung said she was grateful to all the authorities in St Vincent and the Grenadines for accommodating Tzu Chi and all those who were involved in the process including government, churches and everyone else who were involved. The relief plan was coordinated with three Tzu Chi volunteers from St. Vincent’s mainland in collaboration with SVG’s National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) in connection with the Ambassador of the Taiwan Embassy and her assistant.
Cheng said Tzu Chi is grateful for the opportunity to spread more seeds of love in St Vincent and the Grenadines.
PHILIPSBURG:--- Member of Parliament Egbert J. Doran, former Minister of VROMI, has called on the current Minister of VROMI, Patrice Gumbs, to update the public on when the much-needed road repairs across Sint Maarten will finally begin. This request comes after Minister Gumbs indicated in July that road resurfacing works would start soon, but there has been little information regarding an actual commencement date since then.