Sharing helpful moments with Digicel

IN the spirit of Christmas, the Digicel Foundation launched its Moments are Better Shared campaign which gives social media fans a chance to touch the lives of someone or a family in dire need, by nominating them for assistance.

Within 24 hours of launch, there were over 100,000 views on the foundation’s social media channels resulting in over 500 applications, said a media release.

One application that touched the foundation's team was submitted by Rosyln G from Cashew Gardens. Rosyln nominated a neighbourhood family – Riaz, his wife, Namdaye and their son Suresh. The couple is visually-impaired and their son, who has autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is unable to speak and is blind. While the family receives support from the government, Roslyn’s application requested occupational therapy toys for Suresh, so his mother can continue to help him develop his personal and social skills.

Joan R, a retiree also benefited from the initiative with a return flight to Dominica to attend her grandson’s wedding. The last time Joan travelled to her homeland was 15 years ago for her mother’s funeral. Another touching story was Shallene’s, who is the primary caretaker for her husband, a stroke victim. Shallene has a part-time job and is the sole breadwinner for her family of four.

Digicel Foundation CEO, Penny Gomez said in the release, “It’s a good time to be a Digicel customer; persons can feel proud that just by being with the network, it has afforded us the means to help so many people in need.”

Requests came in for items such as grocery vouchers, stoves, refrigerators, beds, other home appliances and family reunion trips to name a few. In the first two weeks, the foundation issued $90,000 in grocery vouchers and other household items to 28 families through the online initiative.

The Moments are Better Shared initiative followed Get More Share More Christmas campaign where Digicel customers got the chance to win over $500,000 in prizes.