Tourism Enhancement Fund Help Relocate Canaries Infant School

On Friday 14th February 2014, the SLHTA’s Executive Vice President and Project Assistant, visited the Canaries Primary School and Canaries Infant School to assess the completion of works commissioned with the kind donations from the SLHTA membership and get a first hand indication of outstanding needs.  Both schools suffered tremendous damage as a result of the 2013 Christmas Eve trough.  Relief was provided under the SLHTA’s Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF)and the kind donations of visitors and SLHTA Member companies.

Barely four months old, the TEF has been able to undertake relief efforts through infrastructural and other works in Canaries to support the relocation of our Canaries Infant School.  When the Saint Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association was notified by the Ministry of Education that the school had lost all its kitchen equipment in the flood, the TEF pledged $50,000 to relief efforts and immediately reached out to member hotels and allied member companies for matching support and raised an additional $40,000 through donations from guests.

Bay Gardens Resorts, Anse Chastanet and Jade Mountain Hotels, Habitat Terrace and many other small hotels, Allied Members such as Serenity Tours, Barefoot Holidays, Sunlink Tours and many others rushed to answer the call and within two short weeks the industry provided stove, fridge, food mixers and other kitchen equipment, dining ware and school supplies to ensure all 80 infants who are students of the Infant school  were able to return to school and not have to worry about their school feeding program or learning environment but focus solely on learning.

When the SLHTA’s Executive Vice President visited the Infant School and realized that the dining area was unsuitable for the infants to dine in, he again reached out to Jade Mountain for assistance and received a generous donation of $34,000 dollars to use for construction of dining tables and an extension under which the kids can now eat in comfort.  To date other hotels and companies have independently provided donations of water, mattresses, clothes and food items.  Today requests are still pouring in for more support and the SLHTA continues to rally its membership for further donations.