DIGICEL chair O’Brien thanks UK government for help to SVG

Having spoken out to condemn strongly the inaction of the UK Government in the wake of the devastation being caused by the ongoing La Soufriere volcanic activity in St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Digicel Chairman, Denis O’Brien, [was Monday, April 3], thanking them for answering the call.

 St. Vincent & the Grenadines is facing a humanitarian crisis with the ongoing La Soufriere volcanic activity causing the mass displacement of over [20],000 people, food insecurity and a potential public health emergency. 

The UK Government had originally committed just £200,000 through the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) to help St. Vincent – an amount the Digicel Chairman labelled “pitiful” when calling on the UK Government to step up and do the right thing.  

Last week, the news came that the UK Government had made a further commitment of £550,000 to the World Food Programme to provide food, water and other essentials to help families in St. Vincent & the Grenadines to meet their essential needs. 

Commending the UK Government on answering the call, Digicel Chairman, Denis O’Brien, said; “credit where credit is due; after a slow start, the UK Government has listened and has done its duty. Connected as they are to the UK through history, the people of St. Vincent & the Grenadines naturally deserve help from the UK in times of dire need – this latest commitment by the UK Government is proof positive of the much-heralded spirit of the Commonwealth.”