UN agencies provide one-off financial support

by Linda Straker

• World Food Programme made payment to people in Carriacou, Petite Martinique and St Patrick
• UNICEF made payment to people in the parishes of St John and St Mark
• Beryl Relief Income Support (BRIS) programme to run from November 2024 to April 2025 

Using the Support for Education Empowerment Development (SEED) in the Ministry of Social Development as their baseline, 2 United Nations agencies have made one off payment to hundreds of beneficiaries of that programme in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl.

The category 4 hurricane devastated the country with its raging winds on 1 July, but the northern parts comprising the Grenadines of Carriacou and Petite Martinique and the parishes of St Patrick and St Mark were the hardest hit. Government declared these areas as disaster zones from 1 July to 30 September.

The World Food Programme (WFP) and the UNICEF Caribbean Office in Barbados have made one-off support payment to the SEED beneficiaries in the parishes. WFP made payment to Carriacou, Petite Martinique and St Patrick, while UNICEF made payment to people in the parishes of St John and St Mark.

The additional payment from UNICEF of US$120 or EC$330 payment was collected the same time that SEED beneficiaries received the monthly support from Government for September. The SEED payment will vary depending on the household. However, the WFP was done after the monthly August payment of SEED.

In June, Social Development Minister Gloria Thomas told Parliament that there were 7,914 people benefitting from the SEED programme. Petra Louison, Public Information Officer in the ministry said the number of people who received the one-off payment from St Patrick were 801, with 489 in St John and 310 in St Mark.

Besides the one off payment in August to SEED recipients, the World Food Programme in partnership with the Ministry of Social Development has also launched the Beryl Relief Income Support (BRIS) programme which is designed to bring relief to those in Carriacou, St Patrick, St John, St Andrew and St mark who were affected by the hurricane. BRIS will run for 6 months from November 2024 to April 2025. Without detailing the amount of financial support that will be received, Chrisse Worme, Director, Ministry of Social Development said, “This support is not just for SEED Beneficiaries but extends to anyone who has lost their job or experienced a serious decrease in business income due to the hurricane.”

She explained in a recent news conference that the cash transfer is intended to bridge the gap caused by income lost. It does not cover expenses related to rebuilding, housing repairs, or acquired livelihood assets. Among other criteria, applicants to the programme must have overall income that falls below the poverty line and priority will be given to lactating mothers, people who are mentally challenged as well people who disabled.

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