SVG Friendship Foundation gives money and vouchers to 120 students

SOME 120 CHILDREN drawn from communities across St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), received bursaries of part cash, part vouchers at a ceremony held at the conference room of the National Insurance Service Limited, on Monday, August, 18, 2025. And, former Deputy Prime Minister, Sir Louis Straker appealed to parents who collected the bursaries and school vouchers, to use the money and the vouchers for the students and not for personal use.

The children and adults were gathered for the annual bursary disbursement ceremony of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Friendship Foundation in which Sir Louis is engaged.

Addressing a packed room where the 120 students received EC$200 cash, and EC$200 Jax Enterprises vouchers, Sir Louis thanked the parents for coming out with their children but stressed, “the funds are to go towards the children”.

He said the many donors who contributed to the SVG Friendship Foundation (UK), and made the bursaries possible, were happy to contribute to help parents prepare children for school and life.

“…don’t tell them you will borrow it (bursary money) because your rent is short and you will put it in back later, because you’ll never put it back… don’t use it to top of your telephone or to do anything else,” Sir Louis charged the adults.

“It should be used for your children’s education…,” Sir Louis stressed, while explaining that the funds were mobilized by the sister organization in England- the SVG Friendship Foundation UK- and handed over to the SVG Friendship Foundation SVG.

He told the gathering that the point person in the United Kingdom (UK) is High Commission for St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), Cenio Lewis, and those who have contributed to this fund include people in the diaspora, in England, and to a greater extent, SVG’s Honorary Consul in Egypt, Mohamed Maged El Menshawy; SVG’s Honorary Consul in Singapore Philippe May; SVG’s Honorary Consul in Germany, Dr Rudy Ackerman; SVG’s Honorary Consul in Greece, Antonia Nikolaidi; and SVG’s Honorary Consul in Northern Ireland, Dr Christopher Stange.

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