Over 2,000 Vincentians were recently employed to clear ash from drains and other infrastructure as the country prepares to mark one year since the La Soufriere volcano eruption.
The clean-up project took place between February 28 and March 4, 2022 and was funded by the Spanish Agency for International Development (AECID).
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) was one of the lead agencies responding to the disaster and it worked on projects in three components:
Household and Building Damage Assessment (HBDA) for quick data driven and evidence based decision making processes.
Cleaning of volcanic ash, clearing debris and supporting economic reactivation in the most affected areas while providing emergency employment.
Restoration and regeneration of forestry, watersheds and protected areas damaged by the eruption.
In the execution of component two, UNDP procured a quantity of tools and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to ensure workers had adequate protection and that they had the necessary gear to effect the safe removal of volcanic ash.
The funds from AECID was disbursed by the UNDP to the St Vincent and the Grenadines Government using its basic Standard Agreement.
The Roads, Buildings & General Services Authority (BRAGSA), which is the government agency leading volcano clean up, then hired the local workers that participated in the clean-up exercise.
In a November 2021 visit to the island, UNDP Resident Representative for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Valarie Cliff and the Spanish Ambassador Fernando Nogales toured of the North Windward region of St Vincent and expressed satisfaction with the work done by BRAGSA.
