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UCT is seeking to further our efforts to promote the work of the ‘Baby Survival Kit Foundation’ (BSK) to integrate the ‘Baby Survival Kits’ into Guyana and to add to the program an ‘Elderly Survival Pack’.

	Seen here Mrs Cholmondeley, at her home, following a presentatin of the Baby Survival Kits project, with her colleagues from Women Reaching Out.
Survival Kits can be prepared in Barbados but are more costly, contacts have been sourced in Guyana to analyze the best places to purchase the products. Ideally these kits should be prepared in Guyana due to cost efficiency, avoidance of shipping cost and duty.
	UCT in association with BSK is activating its Guyana program. A team of UCT volunteers are actively working towards that goal. UCT plans to work within a network of faith-based organizations training and preparing groups in anticipation of international funding and European grant money.

UCT has partnered with a London based Caribbean Development Trust, (CTD) Dr. Christopher Johnson is the Chairman and David Roberts the secretary. Below is a letter received from London

Dear Jenny,

I am particularly pleased that UCT is moving into Guyana (my homeland) where much humanitarian assistance is needed. CDT is in dialogue with the Guyana High Commission at present to work out in what way CDT can be of immediate support to the relief effort. We intend to identify and work with a select group of NGOs in Guyana while in partnership with the UK based Guyana (UK) Sports Development Agency, an established and very active non-profit organisation that has just sent a fairly large supply of medical supplies to Guyana. I am a member of this organisation as well.

UCT's Disaster Mitigation Program seems pertinent in the circumstances and should gather much financial assistance from the private sector as many governments may claim to have exhausted their budget for post Ivan expenditure.

I will introduce the ‘Baby Survival Kit Foundation’ to the CDT Board with a view to formulating a strategy to roll the concept out in the UK as a project administered by a partner of CDT.

There is much work to be done if our dreams are to be fully realised and this partnership is the first step toward making a significant positive difference to the Caribbean socio-economic and cultural landscape in a profitable way.

Regards,

David

The Baby Survival Kite Foundation (BSK) is a self generated non-profit Foundation, designed to spring into action in the event of an emergency to help very fragile infants who are generally an under represented group in such situations. The idea was developed as a response to the wake left by hurricane Ivan on September 7th where our neighbor Grenada was devastated.

The initial setting up and implementation of the idea, as a professional organization to handle large-scale operation and the fundraising poster campaign, has been a personal volunteer effort by the founder Ms. Melanie Bishop, who worked tirelessly to implement it with the help of volunteers.

The idea behind the ‘Baby Survival Kit Foundation’ (BSK) is that donated items such as clothing and linens, coupled with wholesale food items are well organized before they are sent to the disaster area, so that distribution will be easy, direct, and fair. This system allows maximum efficiency for both donated items and funds to stretch to more infants and hopefully can even ensure a long term care program if it can be supplemented by some larger emergency organization.

The primary objective of this Foundation is to support the supply of kits to mothers of infants in disaster areas by:

• Integrating the ‘Baby Survival Kit Program’ with other groups or organizations already working in or with the disaster areas.
• Raising awareness to the general public through fundraising initiatives.
• Redirecting funds for the BSK’s to be produced and distributed to disaster regions in the world where emergency relief supplies of this nature are needed.

United Caribbean Youth Mitigation Program - Guyana

BSK Foundation has supplied a ‘Tool Kit’ for this purpose containing a project guide, product information, Logo and label, personalized poster for photocopying, letter of understanding plus a sample kit for demo purposes.

UCT aims to enable participants to discover the roles that other faith based organisations can play together in mitigation activities, determine possible mitigation projects in which they might engage and better understand ways that emergency managers can work together towards a united Caribbean.

UCT as the Caribbean distribution arm for the ‘Baby Survival Kit Foundation’ therefore extends this appeal to other NGO’, local churches, community health centres and educational venues for support, advice, distribution and documentation. Training and empowerment are vital at this time in preparation for International sponsorship and grant money availability. At this time of our Nations history we focus on a united Caribbean.

It is our intention to set up a Caribbean hub outside of the hurricane belt in Trinidad and Guyana to stock pile the products for the creation of the Baby Survival Kits, UCT is burdened to be prepared for the next rains and the next Caribbean hurricane season. Your assistance is requested in this venture.