Scotiabank, Habitat for Humanity, THA partner to create sustainable livelihoods in east Tobago

SCOTIABANK has partnered with Habitat for Humanity and the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) on a ground-breaking initiative aimed at protecting the environment and building secure and sustainable livelihoods in the villages of Louis D’Or and Charlotteville.

Speaking at the launch of ScotiaRISE TT – Resilience, Innovation, Social Cohesion and Enterprise in vulnerable communities, at the Blue Waters Inn, Speyside, on February 4, Richard Edoo, the bank’s vice-president, Retail and Business Banking, revealed that approximately TT$4.7 million has been pumped into the two-year initiative.

“This is the largest community investment we have made here in Tobago and a key part of our environmental, social, governance (ESG) agenda,” he said.

“We are very excited to contribute, building social cohesion and climate resiliency in these two communities as they will be able to address issues most pertinent to their social and environmental well-being.”

Edoo said the project involves the implementation of climate-smart agriculture strategies and community empowerment training programmes to address climate action and improve housing resilience to withstand climate-related disasters.

Its key activities, he said, include training in rainwater harvesting and community greenhouse practices, disaster risk reduction and tourism enhancement as well as the retrofitting of houses to be hazard resistant.

Edoo said at the end of the project, stakeholders will benefit from greater job/income-generation opportunities, sustainable farming and agroforestry techniques and an enhanced quality of life from improved access to water, home retrofitting and training opportunities.

“An initiative like this has far-reaching gains that will be of benefit for years to come, building better futures for other generations.”