St. Kitts PM Douglas announces CARICOM Mission to go to Haiti and establishment of Haiti Solidarity Fund
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – St. Kitts and Nevis’ Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas said a CARICOM Mercy Mission including CARICOM’s Chairman, Dominica’s Prime Minister, Hon. Roosevelt Skerritt and Barbados’ Prime Minister, Hon. David Thompson leave for earthquake-stricken Haiti on Thursday.
Addressing a huge crowd of supporters at Molineux in St. Christopher 7 on Wednesday night, Dr. Douglas, the longest serving Prime Minister in the Caribbean and in the midst of a general election campaign, called for a nationwide moment’s silence at 6:53 P.M. on Thursday
“as we show solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Haiti, the families of those who have fallen victims at the hands of a terrible earthquake that has visited our sister CARICOM country and our prayers go out to Haiti at this time in their most profound need.”
Dr. Douglas also announced the establishment of a Haiti Solidarity Fund at the St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla National Bank to help the earthquake victims. The account number is 10250188.
Since the announcement Prime Minister Douglas disclosed that a friend of the twin-island Federation who lives in New York has a pledged donation of US$10,000.
Dr. Douglas, who has been keeping hectic schedule of work at the office and on the campaign trail since announcing the date for the general election, said he held conference call discussions Wednesday with the leaders of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Assistant Secretary General of the Organisation of American States (OAS), the Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO).
St Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas speaking on the Hiati crisis at a huge political meeting on Wednesday night.
Photo by Erasmus Williams
The St. Kitts and Nevis leader, the chief spokesman for health and human resource matters in the quasi-Cabinet said Haiti is in a “health crisis with hundreds of thousands of deaths, lack of food and medicine and adequate medical facilities.”
Were it not for the general election campaign Prime Minister Douglas would have joined his Caribbean colleagues on the trip to Haiti as early as Thursday and report back to the Caribbean leaders “with first hand information as to what we can do as the Caribbean Community.”
Dr. Douglas also used the opportunity to inform the residents of Molineux that one of their own Kittitian Andrea Browne who works in Haiti for the United Nations is safe.
