Minaj’s flood-relief donation draws calls for help

Avonelle Hector leader of the NGO Is There Not A Cause, says TT-born international rapper Nicki Minaj’s US$25,000 donation has garnered a lot of attention and also brought of a lot of requests to the organisation’s doorstep.

After October’s devastating floods which saw many people in eastern Trinidad losing their possessions, Minaj and other celebrities offered monetary and other assistance.

In a follow-up interview with Newsday, Hector said “Is There Not A Cause is really thankful for the rather generous contribution of Nicki Minaj. We are thankful for her confidence and the confidence of the corporate and private citizenry both in TT and overseas.”

Hector said Minaj’s donation in particular has received a lot of attention, “which we do not have a problem with, because we do not have a problem with transparency.”

While the high-profile donation led to a lot of requests for help, ITNAC always vets the requests it gets.

“We cannot meet all the needs," Hector explained, "and in a situation where probably about ten per cent of the population has been affected, there are many needs.

“Apart from those who are scheming and stuff, a lot of people have genuine needs, and(the problem) is to figure out, how do we best meet the needs of those that we can help, and how do we get the best bang for the dollar, in terms of which furniture appliance chain will give us the best return on our investment and disburse of the funds in a timely manner to meet the urgent needs.”

Hector is in the US with her daughter at present for medical treatment but other team members are working through the logistics and, she said, “by the time the money is cleared in TT” the organisation will be able to acquire what is needed.

She said the organisation did not want to rush to spend the funding and not get value for money.

Whatever it does, she stressed, will be transparent and quantifiable.

“We have been looking through the different furniture stores to see who has the best deal to accommodate us so we can disburse of the funds quickly and in an efficient manner.”