Group gives back to the community

On May 17, the North Union Secondary School was yet again a beneficiary of the social premium obtained by St. Vincent’s Fair Trade banana farmers.

This time the gifts were football uniforms. The presentation was made by the group’s secretary Veron Browne to the school’s principal, St. Clair DaSantos. The chairman of the group Angus Cupid, along with Philemon Allen, the National Fair Trade Organization chairman, urged the students to take into consideration the sacrifices that their parents were making to send them to school, considering that most of them are farmers.{{more}}

Another presentation was made, this time at the Baptist Deliverance Pre-School in Lauders. This pre-school with an enrollment of 25, managed by Violan Cupid and two assistants, was the recipient of a refrigerator.

The Fair Trade group, displaying their community spirit, also donated 25 chairs to the community centre. Presently the community centre is used for a wide range of activities such as: sewing classes, hygiene training sessions, Fair Trade farmers’ meetings, sports and other cultural meetings.

Social premium is obtained from the buyers who pay extra for their Fair-Trade produce. Here in St. Vincent, the social premium is used for implementing social projects such as: road improvement, health facilities development, education, sport and cultural programmes, scholarship funding, general community development, farmers’ medical health programme, revolving loans and disaster fund. So far, the estimated social premium raised is about EC$1.2 million.