Barbadians must embrace the country’s tradition of being their brother’s keeper.
This was the message delivered by Minister of Home Affairs, Information and Public Affairs, Wilfred Abrahams, during Sunday’s Thanksgiving Service and Prayer Session held at the Spiritual Baptist Church, in support of victims who were displaced by Hurricane Elsa.
Abrahams, who thanked the Spiritual Baptist congregation for their actions after the hurricane as they started to house a number of Barbadians who themselves lost their homes in the midst of the storm, said that now more than ever, Barbadians must look out for one another, if the nation is ever to return to some form of stability.
“You have stepped up to the plate in a big way – we the country, the people of Barbados, and those who are housed here within your boundaries, owe you a debt of gratitude. I am grateful to you for my own reasons, and for our continued association, but Barbados now has to be grateful to you.
“We are our brother’s keeper, and the misfortune may happen to the people out here that you are housing, and other parts of Barbados, but I always say, today for me, tomorrow for you.
“We need to get back into the community spirit that made Barbados great, we need to once again be our brother’s keeper and understand that no matter where we come from, from St. James to Christ Church, all of us have family all over the place, and at the end of the day we in Barbados are one family and we have to look out for each other,” he said.
Abrahams further added that Government intends to keep up with its responsibility, in ensuring that all Barbadians who were affected by Elsa, are taken care of over the next several weeks and their homes receive much needed repair work.
“We have to prioritise them; they are not just vulnerable in terms of not having a place to live, they are vulnerable in terms of their lives being shattered, their existence has been shattered. There is no perceivable way forward without the assistance of the government.
We have to look after their emotional well-being, if counselling is needed, we have to provide that, and as I said, we are prioritising the reconstruction of those homes.
“I cannot tell you how long they will be here, but we as a government have an obligation to help those who cannot help themselves,” Abrahams said.
One Christ Church resident who is currently being housed by the church, Carmen Small, told reporters that though she was indeed grateful for the assistance, she was still coming to terms with her home being destroyed by Hurricane Elsa.
“I feel real hurt, real bad, and real distraught. I am happy here to have a roof over my head right now, but I feel bad because our home was destroyed by Elsa from all this water. Leaving my home and coming to a different home, it is not easy. I am telling, it is really not easy,” she said.
Small also added that very little was saved from her home in terms of clothing, appliances and furniture, and with the little financial resources she currently has, it is not yet known when those items can be replaced. (SB)
