Clinton Foundation, Digicel bring leaders together in Dominica to advance recovery and resiliency efforts
For Immediate Release: April 17, 2019
Contact: press@clintonfoundation.org
CLINTON FOUNDATION, DIGICEL BRING LEADERS TOGETHER IN DOMINICA TO ADVANCE RECOVERY AND RESILIENCY EFFORTS
ROSEAU, DOMINICA – This week, the Clinton Foundation and Digicel organized a delegation of off-island representatives from business and philanthropy to Dominica to advance sustainability efforts on the island and discuss new ways to promote economic development and resiliency. Dominica was devastated by Hurricane Maria in 2017, which caused 65 deaths, led to 99 percent of the island losing power, and generated $1.3 billion in damage and losses for the island. This trip was organized as part of the Clinton Foundation’s ongoing work in Dominica and the Caribbean region through the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Action Network on Post-Disaster Recovery.
The Action Network brings together leaders from across the public sector, private sector, and civil society to discuss and develop solutions that address hurricane recovery needs facing the region while laying the foundation for a more resilient and prosperous future. Digicel facilitated this trip as part of their continued support of the region, which includes Commitments to Action they have made through the Action Network to help the Caribbean and Dominica in particular. The delegation included representatives from the Clinton Foundation, Digicel, World Central Kitchen, Community Organized Relief Effort, Direct Relief, Expedia Group, BeachCorps, Glemaud Industries, Tides Foundation, Starkey Hearing Foundation, Catchafire, Tropical Shipping, and other leading businesses and nonprofits.
Through the Action Network, in the last year participants have developed 57 CGI Commitments to Action – specific and measurable projects that address critical issues such as sustainable energy, small business development, economic growth, housing, education, access to clean water, disaster preparedness and response, and community resilience to assist with immediate needs as well as the long-term recovery in the region.
The Commitments to Action visited on this week’s trip include:
· The Castle Bruce Primary School, which was rebuilt by Digicel as part of their larger commitment to repair and rebuild six schools and rebuild roofs for the homes of children who attend these schools on the island that were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Maria, a commitment that also includes disaster preparedness training for community leaders;
· Solar installations at the school through a commitment made by Expedia Group, Construction for Change, and Sextant Foundation to install solar systems at that school along with five additional primary schools on the island;
· Young leaders benefiting from a commitment by IsraAID Dominica and the Beverly Foundation to provide young entrepreneurs with mentoring opportunities, workshops, and seed funding to help them start new climate-resilient businesses; and
· The Climate Resiliency Execution Agency of Dominica (CREAD), an independent agency created as an Action Network commitment that aims to fund, design, procure, implement, and coordinate climate resilient projects with the objective of making Dominica the first climate resilient nation in the world.
In addition, the Clinton Foundation, Digicel, and the Government of Dominica held discussions to explore new ways to promote recovery and resilience in the region, including with:
· Various Dominican ministries on topics that included agriculture, tourism, renewable energy, and information communication technology;
· NGOs on the island to discuss opportunities for the CGI community to support their work on the ground;
· Youth entrepreneurs in Portsmouth to hear innovative new ideas from up-and-coming leaders;
· Tourism officials and businesses to identify ways to advance tourism as an important economic driver; and
· A visit to the Kalinago Territory to discuss with local leaders the opportunities and challenges that exist in the largest indigenous community in the Caribbean.
Digicel Dominica played a key role in planning this week’s trip and in liaising with various stakeholders on island to prepare the logistics, including coordination with local NGOs and the Government of Dominica.
“After the devastating 2017 hurricane season, we saw how important it was that everyone – businesses, governments, philanthropies, and others in civil society – work together to help the region recover, rebuild, and become more resilient for the future,” said Greg Milne, chief impact and foreign policy officer at the Clinton Foundation. “With the support of wonderful partners like Digicel and the Government of Dominica, the Clinton Foundation has been bringing together these leaders through our Action Network. This week we had the opportunity to see this work firsthand, advance projects that are helping on the ground in Dominica, and identify more ways that we can help build a more resilient and prosperous future for Dominica and the region.”
Digicel Dominica CEO, Nikima Royer, comments, “In the immediate aftermath of the 2017 hurricane, we quickly put our focus on the two main areas of education and housing that we saw as being central to getting the economic cycle moving again. Longer term, right across the Digicel family, we are deeply committed to helping Dominica build back better, both through our own direct efforts and through hard-working and positive partnerships like the one we have forged with the Clinton Foundation.”
The CGI Action Network has hosted three meetings, developed 57 commitments, and convened more than 1,100 individuals from government, the private sector, and civil society to address needs in communities across the region. At the most recent meeting of the Action Network in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in January of this year, President Clinton and Secretary Clinton welcomed more than 600 participants who discussed recovery efforts in the region, progress to date, and ongoing challenges. President Bill Clinton will convene the fourth meeting of the Action Network at the University of the Virgin Islands this June.
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About the Clinton Foundation
Building on a lifetime of public service, President Clinton established the Clinton Foundation on the simple belief that everyone deserves a chance to succeed, everyone has a responsibility to act, and we all do better when we work together. For nearly two decades, those values have energized the work of the Foundation in overcoming complex challenges and improving the lives of people across the United States and around the world.
As an operating foundation, we work on issues directly or with strategic partners from the business, government, and nonprofit sectors to create economic opportunity, improve public health, and inspire civic engagement and service. Our programs are designed to make a real difference today while serving as proven models for tomorrow. The goal of every effort is to use available resources to get better results faster – at the lowest possible cost.
We firmly believe that when diverse groups of people bring resources together in the spirit of true cooperation, transformative ideas will emerge to drive life-changing action.
About Digicel
Digicel Group is a total communications and entertainment provider with operations in 31 markets throughout the Caribbean, Central America and Asia Pacific. Digicel also runs a host of community-based initiatives across its markets, including Digicel Foundations in Haiti, Jamaica, Papua New Guinea, and Trinidad and Tobago which focus on educational, cultural, and social development programs. Visit www.digicelgroup.com for more information.