The Grotto Home in Roseau has received a cash injection of $10,000 which was promised by Prime Minister, Roosevelt Skerrit.
Skerrit paid a surprise visit to the institution on Tuesday and told its operators that the cash would be availablewithin 48 hours.
He also pledged an additional $100,000 for the construction of the new Grotto building, to be made available in the next few weeks.
President of the home, Ainsworth Irish, said the money was received on Wednesday afternoon.
“The prime minister was moved by the plight of the destitute people and the situation at the old Grotto building and pledged some $10,000 within 48 hours,” he said.
He noted that the money came from Dominica National Petroleum Company LTD “which is sort of a joint venture with Petrocaribe.”
Irish also pointed out that the prime minster has pledged $100,000 which will go towards the construction of a new Grotto Home now under construction in Bellevue Rawle.
“He indicated that he will visit the new facility in the next few weeks and will continue to pledge his support towards the assistance of the Grotto Home,” Irish noted. “Indeed I must say we are extremely delighted for that sort of impetus…”
The new Grotto Home, which is expected to cost some $2.5-million dollars, will be ready by 2014 and according to officials, will be home to 100 residents.
Prime Minister Skerritt has a heart. He cares about the people he was put there to represent. Although I am not in Dominica, I love you my dearest prime minister. God bless you.
It is your choice to vote for who you want so why try to tell me who to vote for
So long Grotto home there, needing help and support, and is now the Government decide to give help? I guess many will say better later than never, but I say election coming.
Thank you to Dominica National Petroleum Company LTD.
May God bless your business with many returns.
I ABSOLUTELY love it when our elderly are being thought of and my heart just jumps for joy when they are being taken care of.
To God be the glory.
while i welcome this gesture i think the board of the grotto home need to be investigated. it is not the first time that monies have been given to the grotto home. the people on the board need to be investigated
Goodness me! why is it that every thing that’s done on the island, good or evil, has to do with politics? Dominican wait! if you think the grass is greener come next election, quapo smoke allu pipe. there is a saying, one bird is better than twelve in the bushes. instead of yapping about the PM, let your votes do the talking. My people like yapping tooo much, TONNA
WELL DONE.
Business owners and all those that leaving their wealth for the church. this the place to put it. you never know who will be in need of this place. please put in a great ROOF AND A VERY SOLID FOUNDATION. Please let us assist a few young men who have no where to call home drugs and whatever has cause them to be out there. Put them in org anise a workshop a farm area give them a stipend and help to keep the place clean. it is my brother your daughter your son your classmate your father your mother my once best friend my ex-boyfriend,and it goes on it could be you one day please lets us have a fund day every 4th month to contribute to donate to hand over to care to share with this institute. PM may God Bless YOU you did not buy my vote you are a man of compassion sowing seeds for your children n family. love Dominica.
Commencing with you I suppose? What are your plans to assist them? If you are not able to contribute, then you should keep quiet. Hold your piece.
Oh how I love my PM
Skerrit… you ready!
Of course,I am glad that Mr. Skerrit saw fit to make a contribution to the Grotto Home.
However, for the record the Dominica National Petroleum Co. Ltd. is not a “sort of joint venture with Petrocaribe”. I is a wholy independent entity, incorporated on 24 August, 2005 (no.1497) with the Dominican Govt. being the sole shareholder and its only registered director, Govt. Minister Reginald Austrie. However, it derives its income from the profits generated by fuel sales by PDV Caribe (Dominica) Ltd., in which it has a 45% stake. It is this last company that is a joint venture between Venezuelan state owned PDVSA and the Govt. of Dominica.
To my knowledge the Govt. owned company has never filed any returns, although required to do so by law but I understand that its funds come under the direct control of the Minister of Finance. It is therefore our own money, the people’s money, that is being dispensed here and it would be desirable to have in insight in the operations of this company, which is ultimately owned by the people of Dominica so that there is public transparency of the expenditure of funds that we indirectly generate through the high cost of our electricity supplies.
The Grotto Home is a very worthwile cause but its needs, apart from voluntary donations and berquests, should be taken care of by the appropriate Govt. dept. and not be dependent on
arbitrary handouts by the P.M., well intentioned as they may be.
You are extremely wrong. You think you are correct but you are dead wrong. For one, Reginald Austrie is NOT a director of the DNPC and you can verify that with the registrar’s office. 45% stake? Again you are wrong.
You sound like a former staff..You well informed but not up to date! Will and come again.
well done!!
“He noted that the money came from Dominica National Petroleum Company LTD “which is sort of a joint venture with Petrocaribe.” Very interesting, just the sort of project the facility was meant to assist. It is a shame though that after years of struggle the home is now receiving this small donation and a promise to receive more during political campaign season. It would be so shameful of Dominicans if they fall for this blatantly obvious political vote buying and vote this party back into office.
You mean with two more years to go to elections there should be no attention by the government to anything? Before some few months before an election is due we used to call it electioneering but two years? AWAH!!
OH MY!HOW CAN YOU PLEASE MY COUNTRY PEOPLE???job keep it up!
Rest assured the silly season of Election promises has begun look out for more hand outs, where was all these cash from 2009 to present, what an insult to our senior citizens whom this Prime Minister witness their struggles for assistance for the past four years now and is only coming to their rescue just for their votes. What a piece of insult
When will we as Dominican lern to look at things on a more positive way,
Do Good is a talk, Do Bad is a talk,oh lord, you just can not please our people.
may God be with us all in the Nature Isle.
Do you know long this institution has been begging for money? Do you have any idea how many years this co. has been in operation and making profits? Calling things by their right name is not being negative at all. I guess people like you are so blinded by your love for your PM that as usual, the truth is not acceptable to you.
@Papa Dom: here’s a really bright idea. you say thank God the institution has finally gotten the money and vote for someone else. last I checked it was still a democracy and you can vote for whoever you like. there is no one holding a gun to you head or looking over your shoulder to see who you vote for. stop all you stupid crying and complaining and just move on and prepare for a better future.
Wonderful PM! Never forget the afflicted, less fortunate people. You will be rewarded immensely. Those in authority at the Grotto Home please disburse the funds wisely. I would encourage others to follow your leader by contributing to these Homes, not forgetting the two homes for neglected children, particularly, the home in Silver Lake.God bless you PM!
Dominica National Petroleum Company LTD, so that is why the Gas so high in Dominica, it comes cheap from petro caribe but is taxed high by skerro then disbursed for political reasons, hmmmmmmmmm.
Stop critising development of your country and people. let us welcome it even you may think it is political . I am no party political boom booom fly but I support what the PM did 100 percent.
We must stop being narrow minded when come to our country development.
“We the People are the Rightful Masters of both parliament & the Courts, not to Overthrow the Constitution, but Overthrow the men who pervert the
Constitution.”
This is not about U! It is about the needs of the
clients at the home. It is not about ur dislike of the Prime Minister is about Moral Responsibility. These clients are the the backbone of Dominica.They paved the way for us and they deserve everything and anything to make their lives better.
So where is the Moral Responsibility for the villas and modest home, u dominicans hypocrites, mister just buying votes and u saying Moral Responsibility, skerro don’t know the word moral.
It think you hit the nail right on the head!