On Nov. 21, Taiwan’s Ambassador to Saint Lucia, H.E Peter Chia-yen Chen presented three cheques to the Cabinet of Ministers to support various government relief programmes.

Households and communities affected by the November 6 trough system will benefit from an EC$268, 820 donation from the Taiwanese government. The donation follows Prime Minister Hon. Philip J. Pierre’s recent decision to release EC$200, 000 to the National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO) to provide affected households with emergency supplies in the wake of the trough.

Acting Director of NEMO, Ms Maria Medard, received the cheque on behalf of the Government of Saint Lucia.

Ambassador Chen also handed over a cheque valued at EC$1 million to support the Distress Fund which was reinstated by the Pierre Administration in 2021. The Distress Fund was established to help dispossessed poor and low-income families and households recover or relocate to suitable housing accommodations in the event of natural and manmade disasters. The Distress Fund cheque was received by the acting Assistant Accountant General, Mr. Emrand Mathew.

A third cheque valued at EC$2, 688, 200 was handed over to the Executive Director of the Saint Lucia Social Development Fund, Mr John Victorin. The SSDF will utilize these funds to support the upcoming stimulus programme. The stimulus package will benefit all of Saint Lucia’s 17 constituencies by creating new jobs, improving access to local government services and beautifying communities.

The Prime Minister and Cabinet Minister expressed their sincere gratitude to Ambassador Chen and the government and the people of the Republic of China (Taiwan) for their enduring support and investment in Saint Lucia.

The total value of the Taiwanese donation stands at EC$3.9 million.