Community

Progress is being made in the development of the Montserrat Red Cross Cash and Voucher Assistance Programme (CVA). The design and development phase of the CVA programme was publicly launched on World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day in May. Speaking at a recent Annual General Meeting, Director of the Red Cross Delmaude Ryan said they are close to having the programme in place. “Our staff have been trained in activating the one-to-one platform for managing CVA project. This means that if, God forbid, a disaster happens during this hurricane season, we are able to access the platform to help generate the list of beneficiaries who would benefit from cash as a response to any troubles or negative impact they would have had from the hurricane,” explains Mrs. Ryan. She said a team including officials from the Statistics Department, Social Services Department, and the DMCA worked and came up with a benefit figure …..that is realistic, sound and can be tested. Mrs. Ryan revealed that the voucher programme is “approaching completion and the evaluation of the tender of our financial service provider is underway.

The Rotaract Club of Montserrat is celebrating its 39th anniversary with a week of activities focused on service and community engagement. The activities form part of Rotaract Montserrat’s ongoing commitment to service and giving back to the island.  Speaking to ZJB News, President Anna Johnson said the anniversary falls on September 5, with activities beginning with Media Day- celebrated on Monday and continuing throughout the week.  Some of the activities include a social media raffle, fellowship activities, and a School Zone Safety Project in collaboration with the Royal Montserrat Police Service- RMPS. The anniversary week will wrap up on September 6 with a beach day, featuring games and other activities. Johnson said the event will also be open to members of the wider community. “For our 39th anniversary,  we have some Charter Week activities. So today we are doing our Media Day here on ZJB. And then we are going to launch our A World Without Polio raffle. This will be launched on our social media. And then on the 2nd of September, we are gonna fellowship with the Rotary Club of Montserrat. On the 3rd, we are going to launch our Getting to Know Our Rotary Actors campaign on our social media. That’s gonna take place on the 3rd and the 4th. And then on the 5th, we are going to have our Charter Day School Zone Safety Project.  Ms. Johnson explains that the Rotaractors are collaborating with the Royal Montserrat Police Force “to paint some of the parking boxes outside of the schools and the pedestrian crossing and so forth with them.”  The Club will have its 39th anniversary dinner on September 5th and will wrap up its Charter Week activities the following day “with a beach day for our members, which is open to anyone “who just wanna come and enjoy themselves with us,” says Ms. Johnson.

Strong financial management is a priority for the Montserrat Red Cross, says Chairman of the Montserrat Branch of the British Red Cross, John Skerritt. Skerrit, who was giving remarks at the organization’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), said the organization intends to ensure that their budget aligns with their objectives. He explained the steps that will be taken to reach their goals in this area, saying “the board is requiring regular financial reporting of cash flows, outstanding establishing set of reserve requirements and ensuring that we have an agreed level of emergency supplies that will allow us to respond immediately to disasters whenever that arises. Mr. Skerritt said the Red cross will work in conjunction with the disaster management office to determine the levels that “we need for that purpose and also for our normal support to the community.” He said the Red Cross is also pursuing good governance, strengthened collaboration with stakeholders, better connections with Montserratians and the diaspora, improved infrastructure, and the welfare of staff and volunteers.

2025 was a year of financial resilience for the island’s lone indigenous bank, the Bank of Montserrat. Chairperson Venita Cabey speaking at the institution’s annual general meeting last Wednesday stated that the year under review was one of challenges, resilience and progress, as the bank operated in an environment shaped by global uncertainty, changing monetary conditions and geopolitical risk. Despite these factors, she said Montserrat continued to record positive economic growth. Mrs. Cabey noted that the bank’s financial position continued to grow, with total assets amounting to 483.9 million dollars and customer deposits reaching 412.3 million dollars. Net income was 8.36 million dollars. Meanwhile the book value for shares now stands at 9 dollars and 73 cents. In more positive news, the capital adequacy ratio improved to 12.11 per cent way above the regulatory minimum of 8 per cent, set by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank. Mrs. Cabey said against the economic backdrop, the bank delivered a strong financial performance.  This reflects continued balance sheet growth and disciplined asset management. She told shareholders that the overall message is that the bank was able to respond to changing market conditions while continuing to grow.  According to the Bank Chairman, the priority remained sustainable growth, supported by appropriate risk management, liquidity, and capital strength.

Persons on Montserrat have an opportunity to develop practical skills and invest in their future. The Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the Montserrat Community College, is inviting persons to express their interest in enrolling in Technical and Vocational Training Programmes. The programmes being offered are: Culinary Arts; Carpentry and Joinery; Building Construction – Drafting; Fashion, Clothing and Textiles; Crop Production; Cosmetology (Beauty Services); and Ocean Science. These programmes are designed to provide participants with practical, industry-relevant skills through hands-on learning facilitated by experienced instructors. They are scheduled to commence in October 2026, and will be facilitated at the Montserrat Secondary School and Montserrat Community College, in Salem. The deadline for expressions of interest is Tuesday, September 8th, 2026. For further information or to indicate interest persons can call 1-664-491-9009, or 1-664-496-9009. They can also email juliusg@gov.ms.

The Montserrat National Trust and the Nincum Riley Project hosted an Exhibition and Awards ceremony on Monday in celebration of Emancipation Day. The well-attended ceremony was held at the National Museum in Little Bay under the theme “Celebrating Our Heritage. Inspiring Our Youth.” Now in its third year, the ceremony recognizes the work of students who participated in the poem and short story competitions, inspired by the Bramble Family. Addressing the audience Deputy Premier the Honourable Veronica Dorsette Hector congratulated the winners and urged the young people to learn and embrace their history. She told the young people “if you do not know your history, you will not recognize the vestiges of history, of slavery. And so Marcus’s admonition is still relevant for today.” Hon. Dorsette-Hector said that “young people, as we focus on you today, you were asked to imagine the conversation of these two great men (Olauda Equiano & Nincum Riley) . This initiative has been encouraged because you can now question history. You can give it your own voice. She also than thanked the Montserrat National Trust for partnering with the Bramble Family “through their commitment to their mandate of preserving the past and protecting the present, enriching the future, not only for Montserrat, but all who will learn and be inspired by the work they undertake.”  The Deputy Premier also suggested more awareness as “many still do not know of the evil practices, even after slavery was abolished, where children under the age of six were taken from their parents, kept to work on the plantations until they reached the age of 21. Their parents had no say in the matter. It was a brutal system. Child slavery and human trafficking continue up to today. And even as we celebrate here, we must remember those persons and seek to bring an end to that.