BASSETERRE, St. Kitts (January 12, 2016) -- Permanent Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Ministry who also has responsibility for the People Employment Programme (PEP), Mr Osbert DeSuza, is praising a 31-member group of the programme attached to the Parks and Beaches Unit of the Ministry of Health, for venturing into vegetable production.
The PEP group working in the Phillips community under the supervisor Mr Dovnel Gardner was inspired by PEP’s Supervisor of Programmes, Mr William Phillip, to utilise the eight-hour working day by venturing into farming instead of only cutting grass. The first crop of their labour, 1,000 pounds of pumpkins was presented to three government institutions on Monday January 11.
“I want to say thank you to Mr Phillip for encouraging the PEP team in Phillips to take this initiative, not just to clean the land but to produce on the land that they have cleaned,” said Mr DeSuza. “We hope that this is not the first case where we witness a PEP group taking such initiative, producing and making contribution to government institutions.”
At a function held at the Phillips Estate Yard on Monday morning, representatives of three government institutions, the School Meals Programme, the Cardin Home, and the St. Christopher Children’s Home were on hand to receive the generous donation. Mr DeSuza was accompanied by PEP Senior Field Supervisor, Mr Jason McKoy, and PEP Payroll Officer in charge of the group, Ms Giselle Procope.
“I want to thank all of you who are here, all the members of the PEP team in Phillips who have contributed to the production of these pumpkins, and we hope that we will see you producing other stuff that we can contribute to government institutions that are in need of such donations,” concluded Mr DeSuza.
Director of the School Meals Programme Mr Leon Williams expressed appreciation to the People Employment Programme and its employees for giving back something to the society, and especially his department.
“As head of the department I am grateful to be here and I say thank you because feeding children is very important throughout the world, not only in St. Kitts,” said Mr Williams. “But, however, we should always encourage our children to eat more vegetables and balanced diets.”
System Administrator with the Ministry of Health Ms Gail Cranstoun, who represented the Cardin Home, on behalf of the Ministry of Health and the Institutional Based Health Services in particular, expressed sincere thanks and appreciation to the PEP workers who were present at the handing over ceremony.
“Today is good to see you all and the good work that you guys have been doing,” said Ms Cranstoun. “I really say congratulations, and on behalf of the institutions thank you very much. Pumpkin is something we usually have to buy, and at least this would help to alleviate some of the resources that we would have to spend on pumpkins.”
Administrator of the St. Christopher Children’s Home, Ms Margaret Stevens, thanked the People Employment Programme for inviting them to Phillips and expressed thanks and gratitude to the PEP workers on the initiative they had undertaken.
“I have always known St. Kitts to be a very fertile land, and to see that you can produce this amount of produce is amazing,” said Ms Stevens. “So I really want to thank you on behalf of myself and the children for this kind donation.”
PEP’s Supervisor of Programmes, Mr William Phillip, in welcoming the visitors to witness farm activities that became a reality as a result of the PEP Phillips group explained that the People Employment Programme is in the process of doing some reforms in the way it operates and how persons are trained.
“We are encouraging the persons on the PEP who are in the Parks and Beaches areas not only to just go out every day and cut grass, but to utilise some of the time that they have to do some farming wherever there are lands available,” observed Mr Phillip. “Today what we have seen here is a result of persons in Phillips who have taken up the initiative.”
He explained that the PEP workers attached to the Parks and Beaches Unit are encouraged during the eight-hour period they are on duty to do some farming, “and as a result we are seeing some pumpkins that are being planted, and what they are doing today is to donate the first 1,000 pounds.”
Mr Reuben Govia, a PEP worker who spoke on behalf of their supervisor, Mr Dovnel Gardner, noted that the area where they have planted the pumpkins used to be very bushy and that was endangering people’s security and Mr William Phillip asked them to clear the bushes.
“We are thankful for the opportunity given by Mr Phillip and our supervisor (Mr Gardner) and those who supported him,” noted Mr Govia. “I hope that this is an opportunity that more persons are employed. But we know that sustaining the PEP is a burden and we decided that we could at least even give something back to some of the institutions to show our appreciation to the government.”
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