News

Turks and Caicos Poker Run a lifeline for Kidney patients!

Published

3 days ago

June 25, 2024

#TurksandCaicos, June 25, 2024 – “The Poker Run is a Godsend, the greatest group of men and women you can find. These guys are a blessing to the Kidney Foundation. We get a donation from them every year and we look forward to that and if they don’t show up, we are in trouble,” Rueben Hall President of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) Kidney Foundation declared recently.

Come the weekend of July 26-28, the Turks and Caicos Boat Club will host its 10^th Annual Poker Run and again the Kidney Foundation along with the Turks and Caicos Diabetic Association and Abuse Awareness Turks and Caicos will be this year’s beneficiaries.

The Poker Run which starts at Haven Down Rock Marina with usually four stops along the way before the grand finale at the Turtle Cove Marina, offers up $30,000 in prizes.

When Hall joined the organization 10 years ago, now having served as president for the past eight years, there were only 21 dialysis patients but that number has more than doubled and is now at 55.

When the kidneys no longer work properly, dialysis is used to try to achieve balance by imitating the fluid and toxin removal functions of healthy kidneys. But for many kidney patients, treatment three times per week may not be enough and this can put stress on their hearts. This makes the work of the Kidney Foundation especially vital as it seeks to cater to the social well-being of affected patients, many of whom cannot hold a steady job, having to undergo dialysis treatment as many as three times a week. The procedure lasts for three hours or more and is physically demanding, with the patient usually exhausted by the process.

While the government provides some support by providing airfare for individuals who must travel outside the Turks and Caicos in order to access dialysis treatment, the money needed for food and a place to stay is usually not covered. There is no provision for caregivers, usually only one person’s airfare is covered and this makes it unattractive even for relatives to come onboard for the trip which is usually to Jamaica or the Dominican Republic, for a week at least.

Helping to cover these costs is where most of the Kidney Foundation funds are directed; but as the financial demand grows there are no additional sources of income, even as the recurrent costs grow. These include the provision of gift baskets, greeting cards and money.

“At Christmas time we do something special for all the patients because many of them are lonely people as most do not have families. During the Christmas we’ll have dinner for them, give them gifts, a card and sometimes some money. Ninety-five per cent of them are not working because they can’t hold down a steady job, so people won’t hire them,” Hall lamented.

He again appealed to the private sector to support the Kidney Foundation and other such worthy causes.

“The cost is becoming more and more every year because you get and more people going away almost every month for treatment and that’s where the bulk of the assistance that we receive goes and we have other expenses that we deal with as well.”

This includes the observance of World Kidney Day which is celebrated globally every second Tuesday of March with activities such as health screenings and education campaigns, all geared to promoting kidney health.

The TCI Kidney Foundation uses the observance to share messages with school children and educators which promote the need to develop and maintain healthful eating habits from early on in order to avoid lifestyles which often lead to lifestyle diseases.

Getting the buy-in of corporate Turks and Caicos is critical to the future of the country’s population because of the need for a comprehensive sustained public awareness campaign to help low-income families to understand that kidney damage most times can be traced to poor food choices started in childhood.

“Getting them to understand that message is at the core of our public awareness and treatment of the disease,” Hall explained.

“We have a very poor diet system here, so 99.9 per cent of the people on dialysis are in the low-income class because they are forced to eat certain things since eating health is so expensive. So we try to educate persons not to feed the children certain kinds of food so we say to people, ‘Try and avoid smoking, avoid drinking too much alcohol and cut down on the salt in your diet’ and we try to educate our children in the school setting.”

News

Department of Social Development and Welfare calls for community support in Foster Care

Published

3 days ago

June 26, 2024

Deandrea Hamilton

#TurksandCaicos, June 25, 2024 – The Department of Social Development and Welfare conducted several recruitment drives across the Turks and Caicos Islands, engaging stakeholders, potential foster carers, and advocates to highlight the urgent need for foster carers. These events raised awareness of the importance of foster care, highlighting the role it plays in providing safe and nurturing environments for children in need and emphasising the overall impact it has on the lives of these children.

The Department of Social Development and Welfare is issuing a heartfelt call to the community to continue to support its foster care recruitment initiative, as the demand for loving, stable foster homes has never been greater. The department urges compassionate individuals and families to consider opening their hearts and homes to children in need.

The Turks and Caicos Islands can pave the path for a brighter future by forging a stronger, more supportive community for children in need.

The Department of Social Development and Welfare is calling the public to come together and support this vital cause by:

Spreading the Word: Help the Department of Social Development and Welfare reach a wider audience by sharing information about foster care with friends, family, and community groups.
Volunteer: There are many ways to support foster children and foster families through volunteer efforts.
Donate: Financial contributions can help provide essential resources and support services for foster children and families.

Bahamas News

Ready or Not, African and Caribbean Artists set the stage on Fire at AfreximFest in Nassau

Published

3 days ago

June 25, 2024

Deandrea Hamilton

Danae Dennie and Deandrea Hamilton

Editorial Staff

#TheBahamas, June 25, 2024 – ‘Ready or Not’ AfreximFest is sizzling finale, capping of concert spectacular with Haitian superstar, Wyclef Jean.

This year, AFREXIMFEST 2024 was held for the first time in the Caribbean region, The Bahamas hosting the three days of meeting in Nassau at the Baha Mar resort.

It is a rich tradition for the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) to celebrate the rich cultural contributions throughout the various industries and the orange economy is a major highlight.

The concert was MC’d by Nigerian radio personality and television presenter IK Osakioduwa and featured artists from The Bahamas, the continent of Africa and Trinidad and Tobago.

Nigerian Artiste, Flavour brought spunky afro beats, Fanshawn delivered on the down home Bahamian rake n scrape sound with impeccable showmanship; Oudun drummers from Brazil were a pulsating show stopper and Trinidad and Tobago’s KES the Band thrilled the audience with performances of its wildly popular soca hits including ‘Savanah Grass’.

Making a dramatic entrance with his Fugees hit, ‘Ready or Not’ was Grammy Award winning Wyclef Jean. The Haitian rapper, singer, producer and songwriter, set the audience in a frenzy with his rendition of Fugees version of the Roberta Flack remake of ‘Killing me Softly’; Bob Marley’s ‘No Woman, No Cry’ and hits he authored for Carlos Santana and Shakira, namely: ‘Maria Maria’ and ‘Hips don’t Lie’. However, it was arguably, ‘911’ his chart topping duet with Mary J. Blige that set the audience ablaze, joining in singing of the song as he wowed onlookers with his salacious guitar solo which showed off Wyclef’s enviable skills on the instrument.

The event and its amazing line up of singers, dancers, comedians and master DJs forged further, the message of solidarity and partnership which became recurring pitch phrases at the meetings. Music proved an ultimate unifier yet again, as AAM2024 wrapped up with stellar reviews from those who packed the concert hall.

News

The Electoral Boundaries Commission invites public to submit comments on draft report

Published

3 days ago

June 25, 2024

Deandrea Hamilton

Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands – Tuesday, 25 June 2024: The Electoral Boundaries Commission has released a report that provides crucial insights into the voter population in the electoral districts across the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The commission, in its commitment to democratic processes, earnestly invites the public to participate actively by submitting their valuable comments on our draft report before 12 p.m. Friday, 5 July 2024.

Section 60 states: “60. For the purpose of the discharge of its functions, a Commission—

(a) may invite views from members of the public;

(b) shall consult the public about a draft of its report; and

(c) may seek such advice as it considers appropriate.

The Electoral Boundaries Commission has completed the draft report and, as per Section 60 (6), seeks to send it to the public for consultation.

The Commission’s activities and responsibilities are set out in Section 61 of the Constitution, which provides:

(1) A Commission shall, as soon as practicable after its appointment, review the Boundaries of the electoral districts into which the Islands are divided; and submit to the Governor and the House of Assembly a report either—

(a) stating that, in the opinion of the Commission, no change in those boundaries is required; or

(b) recommending the changes in those boundaries specified in the report.

(2) In determining its recommendations under subsection (1) (b), and in determining whether or not to recommend any changes in the electoral district boundaries, a Commission shall ensure that the electoral districts contain, so far as is reasonably practicable, approximately equal numbers of persons qualified to be registered as electors.

Summary of the Report

As a first simplistic estimation, the total voter population of 9381 was divided by ten, representing the ten electoral districts. That resulted in the target quota of 938 voters (“target quota”) for each electoral district.

The overall trend saw increased voter population data in Providenciales and Grand Turk, with a minimum population increase in South Caicos, North and Middle Caicos. The increase in voter population in Providenciales is noted in all districts.

Because of the disproportionate growth of voters in these areas the Commission is of the opinion that a more equal distribution can only be achieved by significant adjustments of the boundaries and these can only be effected in certain contiguous districts. However, the technical professionals in the Crown Land and Surveying Departments have advised the Commission of the danger of arbitrarily adjusting the boundaries, as the maps do indicate where few electors may live in a large geographic area, while smaller areas may contain large numbers of electors. The Commission understands that this can only be obtained through a RE-REGISTRATION process, in which all voters will re-register.

The Commission, therefore, agreed that, except for Grand Turk, all electoral boundaries in Providenciales should remain the same until information is available to determine the number of electors on the ground.

Therefore, the Commission will visit all islands in the Turks and Caicos Islands during the week of July 8th to 12th, 2024, to consult the public on the report’s findings.

All submissions must be sent via email to williamsjuliae@gmail.com