Private sector and Govt team up to give St Lucy man a fresh start

Sixty-seven-year-old Elkins Bowen is a happier man today after receiving the keys to a brand new house at Checker Hall, St Lucy.

Last July, the rotted, wooden structure which Bowen occupied was pushed down to pave way for the new one-bedroom, one bathroom house equipped with modern facilities, made possible through a public/private partnership.

The demolished house was severely damaged by Storm Tomas in 2010. But today, Bowen could not help but smile and breathe a sigh of relief as the Rector of the St Lucy Parish Church, Canon Curtis Goodridge, blessed his new home.

The elderly man told Barbados TODAY he was grateful to all the stakeholders made  who made his dream of living in better conditions a reality, especially contractor Mitch Blackman, who coordinated the humanitarian effort.

“I am so happy for the house. It has been a long time that I have been looking forward to it and I thank Mr Blackman very much for what he has done. It took a long time before it began but I feel much better now having a nice new house to shelter from the rain and the wind and anything. In the old house it used to come through the top and I used to have to put things on the floor for the water,” Bowen said.

Blackman, who called on kind-hearted Barbadians and corporate entities to reach out to him about how they can make contributions to fully complete the house, indicated that he was happy to see Bowen receive the keys after a long wait due to unforeseen circumstances that arose during the building process.

Blackman said 60 per cent of the contributions to the house came from private companies through cash and building materials, while the Government gave the remaining 40 per cent, with the Rural Development Commission (RDC) yet to release funds to pay artisans.

The contractor commended the private sector for making the significant contributions to the project.

Blackman said: “I think we can do better in this nation to help more people who are disadvantaged if we can really just come together. But unfortunately, everyone is just all about self. Everything that you see in here I have negotiated for with the private sector or Government.

“I think this is a wonderful project for the Government to look at, whereby you can get the private sector and the public along with the Government coordinating to make projects like this happen. No one should have to live in Barbados in these conditions and the Government cannot do it all alone. There is a role for me, there is a role for the private sector and there is a role for the public along with  Government that we can get this done together.”

Owner and Managing Director of Earl’s Funeral Home Ian Griffith, who delivered remarks at the handing over ceremony remarked that the time has come for Barbadians to change the mindset where many believe that they must call on Government for help.

However, Griffith who has signaled his intention to start a charity to give back to society, said there are persons living in communities who can come together to help their neighbours.

“You have people in communities who can come onboard and lend that kind of help. It doesn’t have to be all financial. Projects like that can be achieved in communities. The Government is there to help us but the Government cannot do it all and I believe that we have all learnt this lesson since March, April, last year when COVID first stepped in. We cannot depend on the Government to assist us to survive,” Griffith said.
(anestahenry@barbadostoday.bb)