Swaha distributes 1,200 hampers with help of govt grant

Swaha Inc has distributed over 1,200 food hampers and over 500 masks to members of the Hindu community. The masks and hampers were provided using money issued to religious bodies by the government.

On May 5, Social Development Minister, Camille Robison-Regis announced $10 million in government grants would be issued to religious groups to aid members of their community. Pundit Maniedeo Persad said in a phone interview on May 29, Swaha received $200,000 at the beginning May by cheque.

A statement released by Swaha Inc on May 29 said, “Swaha mobilised our various institutions across TT to reach the most needy in various communities.”

It also said, in addition to the government relief, they also received donations, funding and contributions from members and supporters.

Hampers and masks were funnelled through twelve Swaha Hindu centres, the Swaha Hindu College, four Swaha Early Child Care and Education Centres, and the Swaha social services arm.

Persad said they received an overwhelming response from people for the donations.

“The phonelines were swamped,” he said, and a website had to be set up to aid in hamper distribution. Through the phonelines, they were able to facilitate almost 200 applicants, and the website reached over 1,900 applicants.

Although they were not able to provide for all of the applicants, he said the people have been patient. “Everything can’t happen overnight.”

“It’s difficult,” he said. “It is a unique situation (but) the government has done quite a good job in containing the spread of the virus.”

The statement said a robust system of check and balance was implemented to ensure the highest levels of accountability and transparency. It also said the experience was both rewarding and heart-wrenching, as it further highlighted the need for such outreach actions.

Other religious bodies such as the Baha’I Faith have also received grants. The Jehovah Witnesses of TT, however, said in a statement they would not be accepting the grant, stating they are not logistically equipped to handle a distribution of that magnitude.