Antigua & Barbuda Red Cross spreads Christmas cheer

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By Samantha Simon

The Antigua & Barbuda Red Cross Society (ABRCS) hosted their annual Give a Hand initiative during the holiday season as part of their Beyond Homelessness programme.

Members of the homeless community who were part of the organisation’s registry came out to receive a warm Christmas meal, hygiene products and clothing as well as showers as the holidays approach.

ABRCS’ Programmes and Operations manager, Victoria Charlton explained that while this was a year-round initiative, they made extra effort to help celebrate Christmas with those who did not have the means to, whilst continuing to provide much needed support.

ABRCS, supported by the Ministry of Social Transformation, would have recently completed a series of interviews with the homeless to pinpoint the best ways to assist with mental health support and allowing these individuals to receive targeted aide.

They would have also established a relationship with the less fortunate within St John’s and built a relationship which has allowed them to find ways to build on the skills these persons have and give them opportunities whilst also assisting with the root causes of their homelessness.

Their hope is to expand this programme to other communities as well as to introduce new initiatives to better combat homelessness.

The President of the ABRCS, Dr Jose Humphreys, spoke proudly of the work and mission of the organization.

“As Red Cross members and volunteers, our principal objective is to prevent and alleviate suffering with complete impartiality; making no discrimination as to nationality, race, sex, religious beliefs, language, class or political opinions.

“We mobilise our humanitarian efforts based solely by the needs of our beneficiaries and the wider population, and we give priority to the most urgent cases of distress. Today was no different! We remain thankful to our many dedicated members, volunteers, and corporate partners for their continued support,” Dr Humphreys said.

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