Red Cross Volunteers clean Lowman’s Bay

Some 50 volunteers from various groups of the St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) Red Cross Society alongside the St. Vincent Grammar School’s Environmental Club, removed over one and a half skips of garbage from the beach at Lowman’s Bay on Saturday, January 25, 2025.

SVGRC volunteer packing the garbage skip

Chairman of the Fern Side Adult Red Cross group, Jonathan Pitt, indicated that the objectives of the activity were:

To respond to one environmental challenge in the Lowman’s Bay area by removing the debris to reduce the harm which may be caused because of their presence; improve the aesthetics of the community beach; and assist in supporting the sustainable development of the livelihood of the local fishing community.

This is in keeping with the United Nation (UN) Sustainable Development Goals with the focus being on Good Health & Well-Being, a release from the SVG Red Cross states. The clean- up also aimed to provide a platform for strengthened collaboration among the Red Cross, other service entities, the local community, and the business community.

Pitt pointed our further that the beach clean-up was in keeping with the seven fundamental principles of the Red Cross, and is vital for strengthening community cohesion and protecting marine ecosystems.

Arianna Nanton, a volunteer with the Bethel High School’s Red Cross group said, “I am here today because I just wanted to see the beach clean. Seeing how it was, especially after Hurricane Beryl was so upsetting”.

Glendon Douglas, a fisher who plies his trade at Lowman’s Bay commenting after the activity said, “I appreciate that Red Cross came to clean the bayside. It looks very decent”.

This activity comes on the heels of an Enhanced Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment conducted by the SVG Red Cross in conjunction with the National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO), and USAID. The results of the assessment identified the top three vulnerabilities facing the community as mosquitos exacerbated by pollution; infestation from slugs and snails; and flooding, also made worse by pollution.