Blind Welfare gets land for Tobago HQ

THE Trinidad and Tobago Blind Welfare Association (TTBWA) has been granted the deed to a plot of land in Bacolet, Tobago, to build its Tobago headquarters.

The deed was handed over to Felix Cazoe, president of TTBWA, by assemblyman and Secretary of Health, Wellness, and Social Protection, Dr Faith BYisrael during a ceremony on August 5 at the Chamber of Commerce, Tobago Chapter, in Scarborough.

BYisrael, speaking at the ceremony, emphasised the significance of the legal document from the registrar general’s department.

"This deed proves that TTBWA is truly the landowner of a piece of property on the island of Tobago for the very first time."

BYisrael said the Tobago House of Assembly is filled with engineers and other professionals who can provide the necessary technical support for construction.

"We are willing to continue working with you as you embark on fundraising and whatever it takes to ensure this is a 21st-century building."

Cazoe announced the association's plans to construct its Tobago headquarters within the next 40 months.

"It took us almost 40 years to get a deed of lease. I promise, within 40 months, the people who are blind and visually impaired in Tobago will enter a building they can call their own. As long as I am around and alive."

Kenneth Suratt, CEO of TTBWA, said that the association aims to build a structure that meets the standards to withstand hurricanes and serve as a place of shelter in times of natural disasters.

"It will be self-reliant, with its own water supply and power supply. Even if the system is down, this building must be able to function."

The TTBWA is a non-profit organisation dedicated to improving the lives of people who are blind and visually impaired. Established in 1914 and incorporated by an act of Parliament in 1947, the organisation has been providing welfare and rehabilitation services for its clients.