French NGO looking to provide long-term post-Maria assistance to Dominica

Paris-based NGO, Secours Populaire Francais, which has been providing emergency relief and recovery assistance to Dominica after Hurricane Maria, is looking to upgrade its contribution to more long-term, sustainable ventures.

The organization has 1.1 million members and  80, 000 volunteers. Some of those volunteers arrived in Dominica less than two weeks after the storm and since then, have provided relief assistance to some 4,500 people on the hurricane-ravaged island, the group’s National Secretary, Corrine Makowski, told DNO in an interview.

The NGO’s efforts have been concentrated in Dominica’s second town, Portsmouth and the Kalinago Territory where they have distributed supplies including tarpaulins and food items, and toys to children. Some of their other projects include repairs to the roof of a building used by the Lambs Feet Feeding Programme in the area and the donation of a satellite dish to Portsmouth Vibrations Radio station to facilitate access to information shortly after the storm.

Makowski, who spoke to DNO after a meeting with the Head of The Environmental Coordinating Unit, Lloyd Pascal, said the group is in the process of assessing the needs of the people of Portsmouth and Kalinago communities with a view to engaging in long-term projects in those communities.

Washoa Douglas of the Portsmouth community Watch foundation, one of the organizations working with the NGO, said the idea is to identify projects for implementation by Secours Populaire Francais in collaboration with the Portsmouth and Kalinago communities that will have a long-term impact on those communities and the country, by extension.

“Whatever they do, we want to make sure it has a lasting effect. For instance, one of the things we have been talking about is like a shelter. You know after the hurricane, all the schools were occupied with children. We have been promoting for some time that we do a facility…where we do our sports but at hurricane time it becomes a shelter,” Douglas explained.

He said the idea is that the sports facility would be used as a shelter after the hurricane if it is required. He is of the view that outside of the hurricane season, the facility will help to maintain and improve community togetherness in Portsmouth.

“You have community spirit. People play together; they work together. Then we start having friendships…like the looting that went on in Dominica, we didn’t see that in Portsmouth because we try to build a more harmonious community so that people don’t feel boy, is us against them. So, that is the kind of bigger thinking that we have going forward.”

Recognizing some of the deficiencies in our construction practices, the group plans to build model structures utilizing some French building techniques which they say can assist in making buildings in Dominica more hurricane resistant. They also plan to engage in small production-to-market projects with fishermen, artisans and farmers.

Makowski said Secours Populaire Francais will use its own funds to continue providing “emergency” assistance to Dominica. However, they are hoping to be able to raise the funds for their proposed long-term ventures on the island from the European Community and other sources in Martinique, Guadeloupe and France.