KINGSTON, Jamaica – Jamaica’s Prime Minister Bruce Golding this morning (Sept 2) received a cheque for J$20-million from Supreme Ventures Limited (SVL) which will go towards assisting the rebuilding of houses destroyed by Tropical Storm Gustav.
The presentation took place at Jamaica House and saw the launching of a Gustav Recovery Fund account by Minister of State for Project Implementation and Service Delivery, Daryl Vaz. The account can be accessed through the National Commercial Bank and is open to donors both locally and internationally.
In welcoming the contribution to the fund by SVL, Prime Minister Golding said Government’s approach is to rebuild and restore as quickly as possible. He said the Government had already received offers of assistance from bi-lateral and multi-lateral partners and that the Minister of Foreign Affairs will be meeting with these partners to secure further assistance. He said the Ministry of Labour and Social Security has been collecting data and capturing information to see how quickly Government can provide assistance to those most seriously affected.
Mr. Golding expressed Government’s appreciation for the donation from SVL which he noted was not solicited but that the company had demonstrated its concern as a good corporate citizen which benefits from the support of the general public.
Executive Director of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management, Mr. Ronald Jackson, echoed the sentiments of Prime Minister Golding, noting that the SVL has again demonstrated its concern to engage in disaster management as a long term programme. He called on the rest of corporate Jamaica to partner with the organization in providing both cash and kind to assist the many displaced victims of Tropical Storm Gustav.
Deputy Chairman of SVL, Ian Levy, who presented the cheque to PM Golding said J$10million will be disbursed this week and the balance of J$10M in cash and supplies would be disbursed in November. He said the SVL is proud to continue the tradition of rising to the call when the nation needs help.
Minister Vaz announced that funds can also be channeled through money transfer companies, Western Union and Monegram. Minister Vaz also noted that over the next few days the agencies involved in the recovery process will be assessing the damage done throughout the hardest hit parishes of St Thomas and Portland. He noted that this was not a time to solicit political mileage but to unite in the efforts to assist people affected by the storm. (JIS)
