PwC in the Caribbean and the PwC Charitable Foundation have collectively donated $100,000 to disaster relief and recovery efforts in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
On 9 April 2021, the La Soufriere volcano erupted, sending ash and gas plumes miles into the sky and affecting neighbouring islands.The disaster has displaced about 20,000 people and left the population of 110,000 people without clean drinking water or electricity.
PwC firms operating in the Caribbean contributed a total of $60,000. The funds were raised by the partners and staff of PwC firms in The Bahamas, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, East Caribbean (Barbados and St. Lucia), Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.
In addition, The PwC Charitable Foundation approved a grant of $30,000 to the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Red Cross, through the American Red Cross. And a donation of $10,000 was made by L&F Indemnity Limited (L&F), the Bermuda-based captive insurance company for the PricewaterhouseCoopers network of firms.
The funds are being donated to local and international organisations including the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency.
Frazer Lindsay, CEO of PricewaterhouseCoopers Caribbean Region Ltd., said: “We stand in solidarity with the people of St. Vincent and everyone affected by La Soufriere’s eruption. As we have done in the past with natural disasters in our region, our people have rallied quickly to demonstrate our support for those most in need and we thank them for their tremendous efforts.”
Prince Rahming, territory leader, PwC Bahamas, said: “The Caribbean region has experienced its share of disasters. We are all connected to each other and in times of devastation and crisis, one country’s loss affects us all. Many countries came to our aide and provided assistance in response to Hurricane Dorian. Now it is our time to unite and stand with St Vincent and the Grenadines and lend our support. We are grateful to our people within the PwC network for their efforts in raising these much needed funds. It shows the power of community and the adage that we are indeed our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers.”