Over $85,000 has been raised through a new programme organized by the Dominica Hotel &Tourism Association (DHTA) in collaboration with the Caribbean Hotel &Tourism Association (CHTA) for the rehabilitation of the Coulibistrie Primary School, which was severely damaged by the passage of Tropical Storm Erika in August 2015.
This was announced by Executive Vice President of the DHTA, Stephanie Astaphan while addressing the launching ceremony of the 4 E’s Programme, as it is called, held at the Fort Young Hotel on Thursday.
According to her, the 4 E’s Programme consists of four community development pillars that seek to enhance community engagement between the hotel and tourism industry and the local community with regards to Education, Entrepreneurship, Employment and Environment.
“With regards to education, the most advanced pillar, the DHTA has committed in excess of EC$85,000 plus in kind donation valued at EC$10,000 to the rehabilitation of the Coulibistrie Primary School…,” she said. “The students of Coulibistrie would be able to get back to school in their community come September.”
Astaphan revealed that the joint effort between the two organizations raised over US$51,000 through online auctioning of vacation packages donated by hotels across the Caribbean region, following the August 2015 storm.
“The 4 E’s which we are here to discuss today represents an extension of our commitment to the local community, launched as a response to the devastation of Tropical Storm Erika and as a result of regional hotel and tourism stakeholders support,” she stated. “The 4 E’s programme speaks to the importance of supporting local communities as we continue to rebuild.”
She said each of the pillars mentioned will be implemented with the help of additional local partners and, “seek to address opportunities, strengthening our social responsibility and interconnectedness after the storm.”
Meantime, CEO of the CHTA Frank Comito said he hopes that the monies raised contribute to the sustainability of not only tourism but the Dominican society.
“We are thrilled that it has helped and we will be at the school today to see firsthand some of the things that are going on,” he said. “It just shows that when we work together as a region putting our resources and our talents that we can indeed make a positive difference.”
Every government owned building in Dominica, has fallen below the state of dilapidation!
The eighty-five thousand dollars is not enough to install flush toilets in the building. Here we have a situation where a man spent more than thirty ($30,000,000.00) million dollars to buy an election; however, he and his education minister, that damn dunce puppet have people children sitting on a pile of garbage in what they term a primary school.
Where is the revolution in Dominica?
How many more government facilities are like that in the country, including the Marigot Hospital. This is madness, it is time for a public revolt, time for a repeat of 1979, there be another civil war to get rid of Skerrit, and those who maintains the status quo, keeping the nation in poverty.