Cable & Wireless charitable foundation activates relief efforts

In the immediate aftermath of the first major eruption of La Soufrière [since 1979], Cable & Wireless Communications activated its emergency teams on the ground in St. Vincent and across the region to quickly respond to the needs of employees, their families, customers, and the broader community, a release said.

“Cable & Wireless Communications (C&W), parent company of Flow St. Vincent, stands in solidarity with the Government and the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines (“SVG”) during this most difficult time in the islands’ history. We have been heartbroken to see the images of the disruption of the lives of the people caused by the volcanic eruption. We are committed to doing everything we can to provide support for the relief and recovery of the people of SVG,” said, Inge Smidts, CEO of C&W.

C&W has been a longstanding partner with the Government and the people of SVG for more than a hundred years providing cutting edge telecommunications services and having facilitated the development of advanced technologies that have made SVG a formidable destination for doing business in the Caribbean.

Smidts continued, “we see the challenges of the people of SVG as our challenges, and we stand ready to do our part to help them through this terrible catastrophe.”

As a first matter of safety, the company evacuated 55 persons including 11 employees and their families into the green zone. Further, employees are being provided with water, food, masks, safety glasses, medical needs and beds, as well as additional relief supplies.

Given the impact of the crisis and the critical need for individuals to stay connected with friends and loved ones, the company provided the following:

1.We issued a $5 Mobile Top Up emergency credit to all our mobile prepaid customers on Thursday 8, April 2021 so that they could have the credit needed to stay connected to family and friends.

2.Allocated 1 gigabit (GB) of data free of cost to each account for the period April 9 to 11.

3.Allowed customers topping up online to get an additional 3GBs of data and 90 minutes for local on network calls and international calls.

4.Suspended late fees for all customers – this was done across the board no matter the location of the customer.

5.Suspended billing where customers have evacuated their homes or businesses.

Consistent with the Cable & Wireless Charitable Foundation’s (CWCF) support to the impacted islands after Hurricanes Irma and Maria; The Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian; and Nicaragua and Honduras after Hurricanes Eta and Iota; the CWCF continues to be there for the communities and supporting them in their time of need. As such, the CWCF moved quickly to provide relief to the community in support of the National Emergency Management Organisation’s (NEMO) requests. So far, the CWCF has shipped almost 20,000 litres of water, which will help support 750 families, as well as 400 beds and linens to the island to meet the need in local shelters. Several NGOs are also arriving on the island to assist with relief efforts and the company has provided free devices and data connectivity to support them. Individuals or organizations wishing to provide assistance please consider making a donation at: https://app.mobilecause.com/vf/CWCF4SVG.

“Both C&W and the Cable & Wireless Charitable Foundation are committed to assisting the people of SVG. We extend our thoughts and best wishes to the Government and the people of SVG and pray that they will be safe and will emerge stronger from this crisis,” ended Smidts.