Yahweh Teams with United Way for enviro-care

For yet another year, the Tobago-based NGO Yahweh Foundation teamed up with the global funding agency United WayTT to observe National Day of Caring 2019 in a special way, last month.

Yahweh Foundation undertook a practical demonstration of ‘caring’ by bringing together some 50 YF Volunteers for the launch of an organic vegetable garden on the lands of a Yahweh Elder Sonny Murray in Buccoo, Tobago - one of the foundation’s environmental projects.

In this project, known as “The Inter-generational Garden For Growth”, Yahweh has initiated the planting of various crops intended for sale and revenue-earning as the foundation literally plows towards its goal of being self-sustaining.

“We were invited to collaborate with United WayTT, one of our major donors, to mark this year’s National Day of Caring with an activity that would be more than just a gesture of goodwill,” explained Penny Camps, founder and director of Yahweh Foundation.

Camps disclosed that ‘the Inter-generation Garden Project was made possible by funds from kind donors such as United WayTT’, “and we’ve been seeking to give back meaningfully by turning our garden into an income stream for our Foundation’s support.”

“This year, we came out in full force,” reported proud project lead and senior volunteer Marina Dumas, “to show the level of commitment we have for both ‘being our brother’s keeper’—as our mantra says—and for helping ourselves as others help us, as is our goal. A mix of YF members—ages 5 to 93—took on the challenges of scorching sun, back-bending garden work, and genuine team-spirit…sporting our ‘LIVE UNITED’ branded t-shirts and enjoying every minute of the hours spent bringing soil and soul together.”

On World Environment Day –June 5 and World Oceans Day June 8 - 36 Buccoo-based young stewards of the environment, trained and supervised by the foundation to execute Yahweh environment caring projects, also took to the community’s beach to install a recycling-bin they will now monitor and maintain as part of YF’s ongoing commitment to the foundation’s programme.

Dumas said this was part of the ongoing efforts undertaken by the young stewards, as they disseminate pro-environment information, distribute waste-collecting bins and bags, pick up waste from Buccoo Beach and its environs, and ready the waste for recycling in Trinidad and onward sales.

Camps underscored the Yahweh commitment: “We’re happy to team with United WayTT, and all other enviro-activists, to continue caring for our country beyond just one day and one space.