Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley accepts medical equipment from representatives of the Barbados International Business Association on behalf of the Eunice Gibson Polyclinic. From left are Senior Health Sister Hazel Forde; Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Heather Armstrong; BIBA President, Julia Hope; and Henderson Holmes, also of BIBA. (C.Pitt/BGIS)

Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley has appealed to Barbadians for cash donations which will be used to assist the hurricane-ravaged islands of the Bahamas.

Speaking this morning at an official handing over ceremony of medical equipment at the Eunice Gibson Polyclinic at Warrens, the Prime Minister stated: “My heart bleeds for the people of the Bahamas.”

She explained that because of the 2,000 kilometres distance between Barbados and the Bahamas and the resulting complexity of transport considerations and logistics, the Bahamian Government had indicated that cash donations would be preferred at this time.

She said she had asked her Permanent Secretary to reach out to the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) to set up a special CDEMA/Barbados/Bahamas account to accept donations.

Additionally, she disclosed, she had asked Ambassador to CARICOM, David Comissiong, the National Cultural Foundation and the Ministry of Information, Broadcasting and Public Affairs to organize a national telethon for this Sunday, September 8, to further encourage donations of cash.

Dubbing Sunday, a day of “restitution, recovery and renewal”, Prime Minister Mottley said she also planned to meet with representatives of the Barbados Christian Council and the Barbados Evangelical Council to encourage churches to become involved in the fund-raising efforts on Sunday.

She challenged: “…If there is any Christian or charitable bone in us, then we each know what we have to do, however small, however large….  We understand that our country has people who feel beleaguered, but however much we feel beleaguered, we have options and freedoms that the people of Grand Bahama and Abacos do not have today, next week, next month or next year.  So, please work with us to do that which you can.”

Meanwhile, Ms. Mottley will be part of a CARICOM delegation which will meet with Bahamian Prime Minister Hubert Minnis in Nassau tomorrow to get a full assessment of the challenges faced by that country. 

The delegation, led by CARICOM Chairman, Prime Minister of St. Lucia, Allen Chastanet, will also include Secretary-General of CARICOM, Irwin LaRocque, the President of the Caribbean Development Bank, Dr. Warren Smith, and the Executive Director of CDEMA, Ronald Jackson.

joy.springer@barbados.gov.bb

Pin It on Pinterest