Eighty-four more homes will be repaired or rebuilt in Barbuda under the European Union (EU) funded Housing Support to Barbuda Project.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which is implementing the project, said the names of the 84 selected beneficiaries will be published by the Beneficiary Selection Committee (BSC) within the next month.
The UNDP said in a statement that the contract to repair and rebuild the houses was awarded to Harrigan Building Construction. The homes are due to be complete by the end of the project phase in June 2022.
In August, 2020 twenty vulnerable families were handed keys to completed homes under the first phase of the project.
This phase represents the final stage of the €5 million-euro project to repair and rebuild homes that were either destroyed or severely damaged during Hurricane Irma in September 2017.
The project is being carried out under the leadership of the Government of Antigua and Barbuda.
Speaking on the impact of the project Ambassador Dr. Clarence Henry noted “As National Authorising Officer for EU Development Fund projects, I am appreciative of the commitment and true collaboration shown by government stakeholders and other partners. Their efforts have resulted in the achievement of yet another major project milestone which most certainly could not have been realized without the generous financial endowment of the European Union. In acknowledgment of our donor’s support, and to ensure maximum benefit to the people of Barbuda, my office remains focused on providing continued support to the process as it moves forward; until the last home is handed over to a Barbudan in need.”
Ugo Blanco Deputy Resident Representative, UNDP Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean added, “The Caribbean faces many exogenous threats, the most recent of these being the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is important to build forward better in the wake of any disaster. By incorporating a gender equality focus and climate smart techniques this project helps communities not only rebound but thrive.”
The EU funded project is being implemented by UNDP Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean under the leadership the Government of Antigua and Barbuda with guidance from the BSC. The BSC is comprised of the Office of the National Authorising Officer (ONAO), the National Office of Disaster Services (NODS), the Department of Public Works (PDW) (Ministry of Works), the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Barbuda Affairs, Development Control Authority (DCA), the Barbuda Council and the UNDP in an advisory role.