The Dominica Red Cross in its disaster preparedness activities continues to build resilience, by promoting disaster preparedness, risk reduction and early warning initiatives in communities through its Branches.
Natural disasters such as hurricanes, Storm Surge and Flooding, which impacts Dominica, can cause remarkable losses on the economic and social development of our communities and country. Disaster Risk Reduction is, therefore, a priority for the Dominica Red Cross in building resilience and reducing human and economic losses, as well sustaining development investments.
The President, Reginald Winston in his address at the opening ceremony highlighted the work of our volunteers in communities, he said we are now positioning to shift our approach from the much overused “resilience” to eradicating the root causes of any crisis that arise. When the history of the Dominica red Cross is written, it will be recorded that at some point a group of Dominicans committed their skills, time, effort…… their lives towards the betterment of our fellow human beings in our communities without profit…. Without benefit…… without gain but only in service of humanity and I hereby invite you to form part of this legacy.
The Marigot Branch office is the National Societies’ fourth branch office. This facility was constructed to allow the Red Cross to preposition relief items in the community for an efficient and effective response to any emergency or crisis in the community of Marigot and surrounding communities. The branch office will also enhance the work of our volunteers by providing them with a meeting place to conduct meetings, trainings, and awareness activities in the community.
The project also implemented the Logistic Enhancement programme which was funded by ECHO and the ready together Programme, co funded by INTERREG Caribbean programme through the European Regional Development Fund, The French Regional Agency (AFD) and the regional Council of Guadeloupe. Both projects aim to reinforce disaster preparedness and response capacities of National Red Cross societies within the Caribbean territories.
The project was funded by PIRAC, the French arm of the Red Cross in partnership with the European Union civil and Protection and Humanitarian Arm, (AFD) Agence Française De Development and Region Guadeloupe.
I do support the Red Cross and its sister organisation the Red Crescent but must question why, in a country of barely 70,000 inhabitants it is necessary to have four purpose built branches. Isn’t it foremost a function and responsibility of our government to take care of it’s people through bodies like Govt. Disaster Management Are we now handing this responsibility to foreign agencies and getting them to finance this through funds, which ultimately come from Switzerland? Surely this is an indictment of our government, which has plenty of money through its own CBI programme ….or maybe just a clever scheme to get a legitimate flow of foreign currency into our coffers? Must we forever be beggars?