Bahamas to benefit from Barbados funds this week

Bahamians will start to benefit from the funds Barbadians donated to the ‘CDEMA Barbados/Bahamas Relief Fund’ in the coming week.

Barbados’ Ambassador to the CARICOM, David Commissiong said the first payment of money in aid of the ongoing relief efforts in the Bahamas will be given early next week.

Barbadians locally and further afield have been donating to ‘CDEMA Barbados/Bahamas Relief Fund’, which is an account set-up at CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank by the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), during this week. The funds raised during last Sunday’s ‘Rise Again Bahamas’ telethon at the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation were also paid into this account.

“The intention is to get the first payment off to the Bahamas early next week. So the intention is that CDEMA will facilitate that first payment to the National Emergency Management Agency of the Bahamas early next week with the intention that, that will be the first payment but there will be follow-up payments after that as additional funds come into the account.”

Commissiong added that next week’s donation to the Bahamas is “from the people of Barbados, not the government, from the people of Barbados and the government will follow.”

He spoke on the side-line of a presentation at Sea Breeze Beach House on Friday. The Ocean Hotels group on the day gave a cheque in the sum of $6,000.00 to the CDEMA Barbados/Bahamas Relief Fund.

Giving an update on the amount in the CIBC First Caribbean account, Commissiong said up to Wednesday this week there was “$278 000.00 or thereabouts” in the account. He said the pledges made by Barbadians during last Sunday’s telethon were coming in gradually. At the conclusion of that event over $400, 000.00 was said to be the final total raised.

“We were up to $278 000.00 or thereabouts because you know, sometimes people make the pledges but sometimes there is some delay in them following through on the pledges or you have to follow-up and remind them and prompt them. So the money is gradually coming.”

He added, “We had pledges of $441 000.00 on Sunday and of that $441 000.00, some of it would have been cash, some of it would have been credit card payments, some of it would have been cheques and some of it would have been pledges. So what I am saying is, as of Wednesday, the bank actually had $278 000.00 or thereabouts but more might have gone on to the account since then, so we have to check and see.” (MG)