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Biggest Swim Team headed to CARIFTA in Barbados this Easter

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By Dana Malcolm

Staff Writer

 

#TurksandCaicos, March 29, 2022 – Turks and Caicos will be in the water when junior competitive swimming returns to the Caribbean.  Even with the major COVID-19 interruptions, TeamTCI is aimed at making a splash at CARIFTA Swim 2022!

“This is our first opportunity to go back to CARIFTA since 2019…We do have lots of swimmers that are likely to make finals.   All f our swimmers are worth looking out for.   Most of our swimmers are likely to set personal bests.   I think that it’s going to be a very exciting competition to watch.”

The meet is scheduled for Barbados this Easter and Dan Redmond, President of the Turks and Caicos Swimming Federation has complete confidence in his swimmers.

He names Rohan Shearer, the TCIs first CARIFTA swim medalist who did the job in 2019, earning a silver medal in the 50 metre backstroke.  Also on that ‘ones to watch list’ is Tajari Williams who won a bronze medal in the 50 meter freestyle in 2021 at the CCCAN or Central America and Caribbean Amateur Swimming Confederation; still said Redman, there are lots of stars in the bunch.

CARIFTA – whether on the track or in the pool – draws athletes from across the Caribbean region in what is often a springboard for world caliber careers in sports.  Redmond spoke about the extreme level of difficulty expected at the games.

“The standard of competition in CARIFTA is extremely high, just making the final of an individual event is an achievement. Competitors from CARIFTA go on to represent their countries at the Commonwealth Games and the Olympics and so it is a first class standard of competition.” Redmond said.

In terms of future prospects so I may be having our very own TCI swimmers in the Olympics one day, Redmond said.

“It is a long-term process. We have lots of young swimmers that are only going to get faster.”

He stresses the need for proper practicing facilities to augment their training.

“I hope that one day we can see a swimming pool built in the Turks and Caicos Islands which means that we can practice more often on our own island and not have to travel abroad.”

The government has promised an Olympic pool to the swimmers to be completed before the end of their term in office. To this Redmond says, “I hope that happens. It’s a big commitment but I really hope that happens not just for our competitive swimmers but for adults swimmers, for master swimmers, for keep-fitters, for everyone.”

It’s been a rocky road since 2002 when the TCI sent its first delegation to CARIFTA but the team has been regularly attending since 2016 and In the Five years since the TCI began attending the competitions regularly.

Redman says they have only gotten better and this year Team TCI has it biggest ever team.

“We’re sending ten swimmers this time, which is more swimmers than we’ve ever sent before. I hope we stick with the tradition of being better than the year before. It’s a very tough tradition to uphold but I hope we can do it.”

Those ten swimmers are: Sophie Taylor, Angeline Lindenhahn, Danielle Burgess, Thais Burgess, Rohan Shearer, Jayden Davis, Mateo Gardiner, Tajhari Williams, Sean Walters and Ethan Gardiner.

In terms of aid the President said, “We do need sponsorship, without our sponsors we wouldn’t be able to make this happen over the years we’ve managed through the assistance of local businesses that helped us out and this year we need the same kind of support.”

If you are fired up by the passion expressed by the Federations President, or just plain excited to partake in the journey of our swimmers, there is a way you can help.

You can contact them at info@tciswimmingfederation.com

The 2022 CARIFTA Games Swim Championship and Open Water Swimming is being staged in Barbados from April 6th to the 20th.

Caribbean News

CARPHA Remembers Former PAHO Director Emeritus – Dr. Carissa Etienne as a “Tireless Advocate for Regional Solidarity”

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Port of Spain, Trinidad. 01 December, 2023: It is with profound sadness and shock that I extend my deepest condolences to the family and friends, people of Dominica, the Caribbean Community and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), on the untimely passing of PAHO Director Emeritus, Dr. Carissa Etienne.

Dr. Etienne’s contributions to public health in the Americas were not only significant, but also transformative.  Her leadership and unwavering commitment to our Caribbean Community’s collective pursuit of healthier people, healthier spaces and a healthier Caribbean were a source of inspiration to many.  Dr. Etienne was a tireless advocate for The Americas’ regional solidarity, for she knew that was the only way to address the glaring inequalities that exist here.

She was the Director at PAHO for most of the life of the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), and under her leadership, CARPHA graduated from the PAHO Biennial Work Programme (BWP) arrangement to having framework agreements.

PAHO funded many of the programmes that are difficult to attract support, like the Caribbean Regulatory System (CRS) and the Medicines Quality Control and Surveillance Department (MQCSD), which are important services for the Region to ensure the quality of medicines.  Under Dr. Etienne’s leadership, PAHO also funded non-communicable disease interventions, another area that does not attract large pots of funding, although the number one cause of deaths in the Caribbean region. 

During the Pandemic, CARPHA worked with PAHO to fund the downpayments to give 12 Member States access to COVID-19 vaccines through COVAX to the tune of US$2.6 million.

Dr. Etienne will be remembered as a true Caribbean lady who worked with great dedication and focus throughout the horrible COVID-19 period and right up to her last working day at PAHO.

During this challenging time, we pray that God will give strength to Dr. Etienne’s family, friends, and colleagues.  CARPHA cherishes the memories of her remarkable contributions to the well-being of individuals and communities throughout the Americas, but especially the Caribbean.

The CARPHA Executive Management and staff stand in solidarity with our Caribbean Community as we mourn the loss of a visionary leader. 

 

Dr. Joy St. John

Executive Director, CARPHA

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Caribbean News

CANARI outlines climate priorities ahead of Cop28

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Rashaed Esson

Staff Writer

 

The Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI) informed that the Caribbean Climate Justice Alliance, in preparation for the upcoming annual COP28 in 2023, launched its “Caribbean Climate Justice and Resilience Agenda,” outlining the priorities for climate justice and resilience in vulnerable Caribbean small island developing states (SIDS).

 

In a press release, CANARI highlighted that the agenda recognizes the major threat of climate change to the region as well as aims to louden the voices of the at-risk groups “on the frontlines of the climate crisis and catalyze actions for climate justice and local resilience in the Caribbean SIDS.”

 

The priorities stated under the agenda are:

 

  1. Curbing emissions to limit global temperature

increase to 1.5 ̊C

 

  1. Scaling up locally-led solutions for adaptation and

loss and damage

 

  1. Improving access to and delivery of climate finance

for frontline communities, small and micro enterprises, and civil society organizations as part of a ‘whole of society’ approach

 

  1. Scaling up just, nature-based solutions for resilience

 

  1. Supporting a just transition for pro-poor, inclusive,

sustainable and resilient development

 

  1. Promoting gender equity and social inclusion

approaches to climate action

 

  1. Promoting youth and intergenerational equity as

core to the climate response

 

  1. Integrating a rights-based and earth-centered

approach in addressing all these priorities and ensuring climate justice

 

The at-risk groups referred to in the release include small-scale farmers and fisherfolk, rural women producers, income-poor people, elderly and disabled people, Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities, migrants, and LGBTQIA+ people.

 

Being cognizant of the severity of the effects of climate change on the Caribbean, CANARI referred to the fact that the very existence of the region is on the line.

 

“If greenhouse gas emissions continue unabated and global temperature exceeds 1.5 ̊C, the impacts of rising sea levels, more intense hurricanes, rainfall variability, ocean acidification, and other changes threaten the very existence of our way of life in the Caribbean and other SIDS that have contributed the least to global emissions.”

 

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Bahamas News

CARICOM Sec Gen speaks on Gender Based Violence

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Rashaed Esson

 

Staff Writer 

 

“Everyone must continue to invest in preventing violence against our women and girls (VAWG). It is an investment in our shared future,” were the words of Dr. Carla N. Barnett, CARICOM Secretary-General, as she reiterated the need for solutions against VAWG.

 

She called attention to VAWG as she gave a speech surrounding the annual campaign “16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence,” which runs from November 25 to December 10, 2023.

 

Barnett expresses the well-known fact that VAWG is one of the most prevalent issues affecting all corners of society.

 

“VAWG remains one of the most pervasive forms of human rights violations in the world and cuts across all races, cultures, genders, and educational backgrounds,” she maintained, as she continued to point out the sad reality that this is still a major issue despite regional and global policies.

 

“Despite the existence of regional and global policies and legislation to combat VAWG, weak enforcement and discriminatory practices remain significant barriers to ending VAWG.”

 

The Secretary-General highlighted statistics for VAWG, bringing attention to how serious and embedded this issue is in society.

 

She said that globally, 736 million women—nearly one in three—have experienced violence—physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, or even both.

 

For the Caribbean region, she said surveys conducted between 2016 and 2019 inform us that one in two women experience intimate partner violence, which is higher than the global average. 

 

In continuation, Barnett expressed that the campaign calls everyone to action against VAWG, including “development partners, civil society organizations, women’s organizations, youth, the private sector, and the media.”  Also, world governments are being asked to share how they are investing in gender-based violence prevention.

 

Ending her address, the Secretary-General urged everyone to wear the color orange for the duration of the campaign, as well as on the 25th of each month, “as a symbol of hope for a brighter future where women and girls live free from violence.”

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