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BAHAMAS: Feeding the Five Thousand Christmas Initiative

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#Bahamas, December 19, 2017 – Nassau – In their pursuit to feed 5,000 families for the holidays, the Bahamas Feeding Network (BFN) raised $84,000 to distribute 2,100 Christmas meal parcels.

“This initiative with AML Solomon’s and ALIV enabled us to raise sufficient funds for 2,100 Christmas food parcels,” BFN Executive Director Philip Smith said.   “Each parcel feeds a family of four, so that’s approximately 8,000 people who’ve received meals.

“The meals consisted of a chicken, a picnic ham, canned peas and vegetables, stuffing, and five pounds of rice. On December 19th we distributed the parcels through our 108 members, consisting of churches, feeding organisations, and soup kitchens, who then distributed in their respective areas to the people they know are needy.”

As the cost of living continues to rise, the Bahamas Feeding Network is seeing a greater demand to help meet the everyday needs of individuals.

“Obviously the economy is not what it used to be nor what it can be, and we’ve noticed that we’ve doubled our output over the last year and a half, so there is definitively a growing demand for food.   The Department of Statistics said there are 43,000 people, or 12.8% of the Bahamian population, that experience hunger.   An individual needs $11 and some change in order to provide their basic needs on a daily basis, and there are 43,000 people who are not able to amass that $11,” said Smith.

A donation from CIBC FirstCaribbean assisted the charity in pursuing its target and surpassing last year’s count of 1,600 parcels by 30%.

Maya Nottage, CIBC FirstCaribbean’s Marketing Director, expressed the bank’s commitment to worthwhile community endeavours such the BFN’s.   “CIBC FirstCaribbean has a commitment to meeting the needs of the community where it is felt the most. We know the amount of people who experience hunger in our country is too great, and we commend the Bahamas Feeding Network for the work they’re doing to reach those people who need help most.   We’re happy we were able to help them surpass last year’s count, and hopefully next year will be even better.”

Smith said: “We’re very thankful to CIBC FirstCaribbean for their continued support.   We used half of their donation for this Christmas initiative.   The other 50% will go into the BFN’s purchase of food for cooking on a weekly basis.”

 

Photo caption:  The Bahamas Feeding Network had busy hands this holiday season, as they worked towards their goal of feeding five thousand individuals, with a little bit of help from CIBC FirstCaribbean. L to R: Bahamas Feeding Network Executive Director Philip Smith and CIBC FirstCaribbean Palmdale Branch Sales Specialist Marlon Johnson. Photo credit: Derek Smith

Press Release: CIBCFCIB

 

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RTCIPF Observes World Down Syndrome Day

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On March 21st, 2024, the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force joined the international, regional and local communities in observing World Down Syndrome Day. 

Officers showed their support by wearing brightly coloured and mismatched socks to raise awareness. 

The head of the Safeguarding and Public Protection Unit, Assistant Superintendent of Police Grantley Williams, Training Manager Mrs Odessa Forbes and Media Relations Officer Denyse Renne visited the SNAP Centre and interacted with the students.

In a message to the TCI community, the RTCIPF noted that stereotypes perpetuate stigma and hinder inclusion, preventing individuals from reaching their full potential. 

Instead, the RTCIPF calls for individuals to foster an environment of acceptance and support where everyone is valued for who they are. 

By breaking down barriers and challenging misconceptions, we can create a more inclusive society where individuals with Down Syndrome are empowered to live fulfilling lives and contribute meaningfully to their communities and, by extension, the TCI. 

As law enforcement officers, we must protect and serve all members of society, regardless of their abilities. 

Let’s work together to ensure that individuals with Down Syndrome are treated with dignity and respect and that their rights are upheld.

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CARICOM speaks out on Climate Change, looking to May meeting to amplify call for Climate Funding

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March 3, 2024

 

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) remains on the frontlines of global climate crisis, an issue the Region has been aggressively advocating on for the past thirty years. Despite the many commitments and promises of international partners, the window of opportunity to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels is rapidly closing.

Heads of Government are concerned that while COP 28 was widely regarded as a historic event, with the completion of the first global stocktake (GST), on progress in achievement of the Paris Agreement goals, the outcomes of GST show that emissions of greenhouse gases continue to rise and the nationally determined contributions (NDCs) of Parties will not keep global temperatures below the 1.5 degree goal enshrined in the Paris Agreement.

Heads of Government also expressed concern to be heading to COP 29 where a New Finance Goal will be articulated to replace the 100bn goal, which has not yet been met, even as developing countries require trillions to deal with the escalating impacts of climate change. Developed country parties have not provided enough finance at scale, technology and capacity building support required to help developing countries tackle their pressing needs to build their resilience, especially in adapting to the adverse and increasingly catastrophic impacts of climate change. The clear absence of definitive timelines for action and quantitative commitments for scaling up of investments, and particularly adaptation finance emerging out of COP 28, cause great concern to our Region.

The Conference noted that Small Island Developing States (SIDS), recognized as the most vulnerable group of countries and a special case for sustainable development, have been facing strong push back against the recognition of their special circumstances especially in the context of climate finance. There is limited international support for special allocations for SIDS within financing arrangements and available climate finance from international and private sources is limited, expensive and too onerous to access.

In light of the preceding, Heads of Government called for CARICOM to take a strategic, unified and coordinated approach to ensure that the Region remains influential in the climate and development arena through engagements with key partners and advocacy groups.

They called for renewed focus by the Region to advocate for inclusion of forests, nature-based solutions and blue carbon into market mechanisms with the aim of articulating clear regional positions and strategies.

Heads of Government reiterated the call for improved readiness programmes, simplified approval procedures, a change to the criteria for determining access to low-cost finance, and for the adoption of programmatic approaches to address the bottlenecks in accessing finance.

The Region reiterates its support for the Bridgetown Initiative’s call to expand capital adequacy of international financial institutions.

Heads recognized that the Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States, scheduled to be held in Antigua and Barbuda, 27 – 30 May 2024, will be an inflection point for many of these discussions to be articulated. As such, the Region remains committed to participating in the Conference at the highest level.

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South Caicos Development Plans shared with Washington-Misick led Administration

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On Monday, 12 February 2024, the Premier led a delegation to tour the island of South Caicos to view the ongoing public and private sector projects, involving the remodelling and rebranding of the airport terminals, historical districts, and the East Bay Hotel.

The tour of the various developments reinforced the Government’s commitment to collaborating with stakeholders to boost the island’s activity and economy.

Photos courtesy of the TCI Office of the Premier

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