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Marie Prospere Prospers well with BTC Growth for 27 Years…

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#Providenciales, Turks and Caicos, October 29, 2022 – A veteran in the hospitality industry and at the Beaches Turks & Caicos, Marie Noguesse Prospere continues to grow with the resort she has come to value, and firmly believes it is the biggest game-changer in the tourism industry for the Turks & Caicos islands.

A stable leader in the resort’s rooms division, Prospere believes that although her earlier years saw her train in administration, culinary arts and as a medical assistant, she is confident she landed her dream career when she joined the Beaches family in 1995.

“Although my first experience in the area of housekeeping was prior to Beaches when someone entrusted me with the opportunity to care for their living area, Beaches is really where I have honed my craft and cemented myself in the profession,” she shared.

A leader who remains steadfast in her quest to provide the best service not only to visiting resort guests but also to her fellow team members, Prospere is mindful of her responsibility to always give more than what is expected. “Being given that early opportunity has influenced my mindset through the years whenever I have to help in training those I supervise. Beaches has seen to my growth and development and I believe in giving everyone around me an opportunity.  I have been a room’s division supervisor at Beaches for more than 10 years now and though I remain firm, fair and friendly, I am always ready to help to groom those who show the interest to grow within the industry,” Prospere shared.

Having received her initial formal housekeeping training in Haiti, Marie migrated with her husband, a pastor, and their children to Providenciales back in 1987 and became a naturalized Islander.

“Since being a part of the Beaches team, I have been exposed to extensive on the job training but also training in Supervisory Management, Customer Service, Basic First Aid, and I secured my Train-the-Trainer Certification that has enhanced my leadership abilities, allowing me to impart my knowledge and years of experience to those around me.  My biggest drive each day is to motivate my team and let them know that their contribution is integral to the success of the entire Beaches team. I firmly believe that it often takes an understanding leader to drive the success of a team and that is who I try to be each day in my area of the rooms division,” Prospere continued.

Housekeeping Manager, Delretha Allen was quick to share her praises, remarking that, “Marie is a stellar leader and motivator who remains humble and committed to all tasks. She is someone who leads by example and is never shy in taking responsibilities or assisting in the grooming and development of those around her. Beaches Turks and Caicos is better off in having Marie as one of the most dedicated leaders who has remained pivotal to the growth and development of the housekeeping team.”

During the resort’s recently concluded Housekeeping Week celebrations, General Manager, James McAnally praised Marie for her commitment and dedication not only to her profession, but also to Beaches Turks and Caicos.  McAnally stated, “Marie is an amicable and dedicated leader who has unreservedly given herculean effort to the housekeeping department and continues to lead by example. With the highest level of consistency, Marie has shown guests and her colleagues the ethos of our founder and late Chairman, the Honourable Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart, by giving each guest (and team member) more than what he or she expects.”

While sharing that BTC empowers its team members to grow professionally, Prospere highlighted the value added assets that the resort also provides. “The opportunity for volunteerism has allowed team members to give back to the communities and I embrace this wholeheartedly.  This is one of the most pivotal reasons that I enjoy my job, and I welcome and embrace the opportunity to give back while I work as a member of the housekeeping team here at Beaches Turks and Caicos,” Prospere ended.

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Guyana to build regional food hub

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Rashaed Esson

Staff Writer

 

#Guyana, September 29, 2023 – Guyana is making moves to become the primary food production center for the Caribbean, going ahead with plans to develop a USD$14 million regional food hub.

In fact, as reported by the Observer, the facility has already been identified on the country’s Soesdyke /Linden Highway.

Guyana seems to really want this to become a reality and Zulfikar Mustapha, Agriculture Minister, expressed this, highlighting what Guyana has over its Caribbean sister Islands.

“We want Guyana to be the food hub, the primary production hub of the Caribbean so that we could supply the Caribbean.  What we have, our colleagues in the Caribbean don’t have.  We have arable flat land and abundant fresh water,” he said, adding that with the multi-million dollar US investment, the country can, “modernise the infrastructure, and start ramping up the productions.”

Also, the Agriculture Minister pointed out that the project is geared to make for a more competitive local Agriculture industry as well as developing high-yielding varieties, pest-resistant and climate-resilient varieties.

Additionally, in the facility’s development, Guyana, Mustapha said, will work with Belize.

In fact, with more on Belize’s involvement, Dr. Ashni Singh,  Finance Minister, informed that the Government is in talks with the Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley about sourcing inputs from northern Brazil and transporting them through Guyana to Barbados and vice versa.

Singh also reportedly revealed that the project will help develop the growing logistics industry in Guyana.

Considering regional food import cost, with this development, Guyana is the leading Caribbean Community country pushing ahead with plans to reduce the multi-billion dollar regional food import bill by 25 per cent by 2025, the Observer says.

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Cayman makes striking policy change to include more blood donors

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Rashaed Esson

Staff Writer

 

#CaymanIslands, September 29, 2023 – The Cayman Islands overturned a policy that banned blood donation from people who visited the island from or resided in countries where “mad cow disease” existed. This was revealed by Sabrina Turner, Health Minister in Parliament, as reported by CNW Network.

People who resided in Britain from 1980 to 2001 and those who had blood transfusions in the UK after 1980, can now donate blood.

Due to recent risk evaluation, and the current protocol for blood donors, many nations, CNW reports, have re-evaluated and adjusted similar guidelines regarding blood donation, as Cayman Islands has now done.

The now initial restrictions on blood donations for the country was called for and was important as at the time of implementation, “mad cow disease” or as it’s scientifically called, Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), was at-large affecting not just cows, but also people, who are able to contract “a version of BSE called variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD),” the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says.

The likely reason for the Cayman Islands’ targeted population of those affiliated with living in the UK or getting blood transfusion in the UK, was because most of the people with vCJD lived in the UK, as highlighted by the FDA.

Also, as BBC says in a 2018 report, 1 in 2000 people in the UK is thought to be a carrier of the disease, even though some who are carriers don’t go on to develop symptoms.

However, the change in Cayman Islands’ policy does not mean the disease is no longer out there.

In fact the FDA said, “as of 2019, 232 people worldwide are known to have become sick with vCJD, and unfortunately, they all have died.  It is thought that they got the disease from eating food made from cows sick with BSE. Most of the people who have become sick with vCJD lived in the United Kingdom at some point in their lives. Only four lived in the U.S., and most likely, these four people became infected when they were living or traveling overseas.”

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Bwa Kalé movement striking back against gangs, nearly 3,000 murdered

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Dana Malcolm

Staff Writer 

 

#Haiti, September 29, 2023 – In eight months, nearly 3,000 Haitian people have been slaughtered in their home country due to the upsurge and uprising of gangs in the republic which is struggling to hold its democracy in check.

‘Bwa Kalé’, it’s a vigilante movement that has sprung up in Haiti, and the UN says it is driving up murders.

Born out of fear and distrust in the state according to the UN, the movement is a violent strike back against the gangs that are terrorizing residents.

A recent report following an expert visit detailed it.

“Certain groups have formed allegedly to protect their neighbourhoods from gangs.  In some instances, these groups have summarily executed people suspected of being gang members.  The Bwa Kalé movement demonstrates the population’s lack of trust in the State, especially in the police and the courts.  The expert has learned that some members of the police and the judiciary have been complicit with gangs.”

Despite the obvious fear among residents, the UN is warning them not to take justice into their own hands.  However, that is easier said than done as Haitians have demonstrated their feelings of abandonment by fleeing the island in mass numbers on illegal voyages and standing up to the gangs themselves.

In the same report, one said: “The State is absent, there are no police or other officials operating there.”

According to AP, a new report to the U.N. Security Council indicated that 2,728 intentional killings were recorded between October 2022 and June 2023, including 247 women, 58 boys, and 20 girls.  Bwa Kalé is blamed partially for the increase, as life in the country is described as unbearable.

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