St Vincent and Grenadines: Government to expand Back-to-School grants to aid Beryl-affected students

St Vincent and Grenadines: Addressing the nation in her capacity as Minister of National Mobilization, Social Development, Family, Gender Affairs, and Persons with Disabilities, Keisal Peters declared the extension of the back-to-school grant program due to losses occasioned by Hurricane Beryl.

The hurricane that hit Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on July 1, 2024, as a category four storm, destructed homes notably in the Southern Grenadines islands and consequently has threatened the capacity of many families to prepare for the next academic year.

In her opening remarks, Minister Peters condemned the loss of lives by the storm and pointed out the number of difficulties that the nation will try to grapple with. “At least 3,000 households across the country have been affected, with the extreme in the Southern Grenadines” she said, elaborating on the extensive damage and loss which had further added to the woes of the affected island.

In the wake of the hurricane, the government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines moved speedily to supplement the requirements of the victims of the catastrophe. The Supplementary Appropriation Bill 2024 was approved by the Parliament on July 19, 2024, and the total fund called by this bill was $14.5 million. Of this amount, $2.5 million was allocated for social assistance in kind, which now includes the enlarged back-to-school grant.

Minister Peters did indicate that she was satisfied with government’s response to her observation when she said, “I am pleased to announce that on Wednesday that is 7th August 2024, I presented a memo to Cabinet to support the back-to-school grant proposal for 2024 that included student from households affected by Hurricane Beryl and I am doubly pleased to announce that this Cabinet supported my proposal”.

The grant program has further expanded to cater to all students in the Northern and Southern Grenadines’ schools, where personally identifiable items such as uniforms, books, and stationery will be provided to the students.

Also, mainland Saint Vincent students from households that reported loss and damage arising from the hurricane, the student will be assisted under this regulation, considering that the household must have registered with the Ministry not later than the 7th of August 2024.

With the expanded program, the Ministry of National Mobilization is to help 12,186 students, which is double the initial goal of 6,012 students. Speaking on the issue, the minister asked the public to be patient with the ministry as it tried to scale up this support.

Back-to-school grant program is among the social protection interventions that the Ministry has embarked on, carrying on with its responsibility to vulnerable households.

This is in the hope that as the nation struggles to recover from the effects of the hurricane, the support will enable the students to go to school well-equipped for their learning despite the tough conditions.