$550,000 in self-help grants for 36 families

Members of the public collect their grants from the National Commission of Self Help Ltd on Tuesday at a ceremony in Scarborough. Attending the ceremony were Health Secretary Tracy Davidson-Celestine, Tobago West MP Shamfa Cudjoe, Secretary of Community Development Marslyn Melville-Jack and members of the commission.  -
Members of the public collect their grants from the National Commission of Self Help Ltd on Tuesday at a ceremony in Scarborough. Attending the ceremony were Health Secretary Tracy Davidson-Celestine, Tobago West MP Shamfa Cudjoe, Secretary of Community Development Marslyn Melville-Jack and members of the commission. -

KINNESHA GEORGE-HARRY

THIRTY-SIX families who received grants from the National Commission for Self Help Ltd have been advised to continue to invest in themselves.

The advice came from Health Secretary Tracy Davidson-Celestine as she delivered the feature address on behalf of THA Chief Secretary Ancil Dennis at Tuesday’s grant distribution ceremony.

Collectively, the 36 families received $550,000 for minor house repairs, construction, emergency relief and development.

The distribution ceremony was held at the Division of Community Development, Enterprise Development and Labour in Glen Road, Scarborough.

Davidson-Celestine said she was extremely proud of the aid the commission has been administering to the people of TT since its inception in 1987.

“In Tobago, through the facilitation of the THA, the Self-Help Commission has really become an integral part of our recovery. It has become an integral part of the work that we have been doing here in Tobago pre-covid19, and now as we enter our social and economic post covid19 recovery phase, the role of the Self-Help Commission is even more recognised because its germane to advancing the way of life,” she said.

The PNM Tobago Council political leader said the commission was only one component of recovery and growth.

She said the funding should be used by the grant recipients to develop themselves to redound to the benefit of the island.

“So, if you the recipients of the grants do not invest in yourselves, do not invest in further development of the identified initiatives, so too would be the realisation of the economic, the social, community or even individual success, and I, at this point in time, don’t want to see a situation where we have wastage in an economy where we’re seeing a decline in oil and gas prices.”

The commission’s CEO Elroy Julien said he recognised the important role his organisation has to play as the world is gripped with the effects of a pandemic.

“The commission therefore stands ready and able to work with the Tobago House of Assembly to render aim to our most vulnerable brothers and sisters on the island of Tobago.

“As the commission distributes over $500,000 worth in grants, I want all recipients to consider themselves very fortunate since we have on our database approved applications in the thousands. Therefore, the fact that you have been selected to receive grants signals that the commission has determined that your case is indeed among the worst of the worst,” he said.

Director of the commission Marissa Williams in her address noted that the distribution represents the continuation of support to Tobago’s vulnerable.

“For the period August 2018 to date, the value of grants expenditure to Tobago has been over $3 million and I am very pleased to state that there are a number of approved applications from Tobago awaiting final processing and subsequent distribution,” she said.

Williams said the commission is committed to transforming lives in Tobago, by offering assistance whenever they can, noting that the work of the commission cannot function in isolation, nor is it effective without strong and effective partnerships.

“In Tobago, we have been fortunate to have the valuable support and co-operation of the MPs for Tobago East and West as well as the Chief Secretary, the Honourable Ancil Dennis and the rest of his team in the THA... strong families and communities are important to building a solid society,” she said.

Comments

"$550,000 in self-help grants for 36 families"

More in this section