St. Vincent & The Grenadines: Emergency Solar Light Campaign Underway
On April 9th, 2021, the popular cruising grounds of St. Vincent and The Grenadines were rocked by a massive volcanic eruption which dumped well over 100 million cubic meters of ash onto to the normally lush green landscape and pristine blue waters.
Published 4 years ago
The volcanic ash covered everything disabling or destroying much of the infrastructure. All aspects of daily life have been drastically affected. Food and crops have been destroyed, water distribution and sanitation systems have been overwhelmed, and electrical systems have gone offline.
Campaign for 500 solar-power lights
Aid organisation Watts on Water has launched a campaign to fund 500 solar-power lights to help residents survive the initial impacts of this disaster.
While some power has been restored, there is no certainty the power will remain on. In more remote, poorer and heavily damaged areas the power has not been restored. This means that people are without reliable, safe and sustainable light.
These proven solar-powered lights solar have been designed by Watts on Water’s parent NGO, Watts of Love for these types of situations.
- Solar Lights like this will be delivered to the island’s residents.
Brooks Watson, a Director of Watts On Water told Noonsite that they expected to land in St. Vincent on Friday May 7, to distribute the first 100 solar lights to the most needy families.
“We hope that the cruising community will be able to help in sponsoring the remaining 400 lights,” he said.
“Now, floods and landslides have greatly complicated the recovery and led to more power outages. Getting lights there quickly is critical. With more weather coming, the situation is likely to escalate.
“While on the ground, we’ll also be handling logistics for our boat’s arrival in the next 30 days. When we’re fully funded, the boat will passage from Saint Martin with the remaining 400 lights. The boat will serve as a sea-based command post for that larger distribution.”
The distribution will be coordinated with partner organizations on the ground. Watts On Water intends to travel to the neediest people to conduct trainings and distributions.
How You can Help
Watts on Water goes to extreme lengths to reach the neediest people, but only when the projects are fully funded. St. Vincent and the Grenadines is a cruising paradise which is why the organisation is reaching out to the cruising community to help fund these solar lights.
- Using a solar light from Watts on Water.
For more information and to donate please visit: https://WattsOnWater.org
About “Watts On Water” & “Watts Of Love”
Watts on Water is an incubator project of Watts of Love, a global non-profit that empowers individuals to raise themselves out of the darkness of poverty through solar lighting. Many remote communities are only accessible by boat. Watts on Water was created to extend the reach of Watts of Love to remote coastal and island communities using sailboats.
Their aim is to transform these communities by equipping them with solar lighting and financial literacy training which is one of the strongest tools available to break the cycle of poverty. The lights give hope, create opportunity, and increase safety. To date, a total of 65,000 solar lights have been distributed in 60 countries.
Related Links:
Related News:
Noonsite: La Soufriere Volcano Erupts
BBC: Saint Vincent Volcano Erupts
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Noonsite has not independently verified this information.
Related to following destinations: Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, Martinique, Mustique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, The Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago
Related to the following Cruising Resources: Cruising Information, Environment, Volunteer Projects for Cruisers, Weather
