February 7 2020  |  People

Third Wave volunteers update from the Bahamas

By Jas Ryat


Last week, Maria Camilla and Drea Consuegra returned to Grand Bahama to check in on the progress of the hurricane recovery effort and spend quality time with local families

Last week, Maria Camilla and Drea Consuegra returned to Grand Bahama to check in on the progress of the hurricane recovery efforts. As representatives of WEBB Banks, the pair found that Third Wave (TWV) exceeded their expectations and wanted to highlight the impact of their efforts.

Topline:

  • $200,000 (USD) funds raised
  • 2,500 different volunteers, both Bahamian and foreign, returned multiple times
  • Delivered and handed out 30 containers worth of aid, which included 20,000 solar lights
  • Removed debris and cleaned homes; cleared the turtle sanctuary located on Sweetings Cay
  • Greatest expenses included solar lights, water filters, paying key local staff members & drivers and covering gas, food, housing and travel
  • Delivered over 6,000 Christmas presents all over Abaco and Grand Bahama

Highlights:

  • Community ties: at a groundbreaking ceremony for a hurricane shelter and soup kitchen, local church groups of various denominations awarded Third Wave Volunteers a certificate of recognition for their contributions
  • Empowering people: among many other initiatives, TWV has been focused on helping fisherman to regain their livelihoods by finding and replacing engines and forming an association to serve as a sustainable resource
  • Long-term commitment: this time around, when travelling to Sweetings Cay, the team of two weren’t asked to distribute aid or remove debris, but rather spend quality time with local families to make valuable human connections

Many people in the area not only knew of TWV, but also expressed great gratitude for their continued work. This said, Camilla and Consuegra are partly motivated to send an update because the team needs help raising funds to bring 10,000 solar lights to Puerto Rico after the earthquakes.

Since US law prevents TWV from using funds raised for the Bahamas to be used for this initiative, please consider donating and sharing the link with your friends and family.

https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/puerto-rico-earthquake-earthquake-relief

REGION Americas
Copyright 2024 DutyFree Magazine. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy Sitemap