St. George's, Grenada :: Logos Hope crewmembers spend a week on the island of Carriacou participating in hurricane relief efforts.
A two-hour ferry from Grenada brings its passengers to a small island called Carriacou. On 1 July 2024, residents of Carriacou suffered catastrophic destruction from one of the worst hurricanes to hit the island. Classified as category four, Hurricane Beryl tore roofs from houses, destroyed schools, community buildings and their resources and left piles of debris that are yet to be removed. More than 95% of homes in Carriacou and neighbouring island, Petite Martinque, were damaged.
Though nearly a year has passed since Hurricane Beryl hit land, remnants of the destruction can still be seen throughout the community. With only approximately 6,000 inhabitants, resources and manning to rebuild are challenging to find.
On 20 February, Logos Hope had the opportunity to return to Grenada for the first time since the hurricane hit. And the ship docked in Saint George’s with a crew ready to help.
Practical help, new hope
A team of six crewmembers dedicated a week to practical work on the island of Carriacou. Together with local hosts, they visited schools, organised and distributed resources and spent time connecting with locals.
Crewmember Tamara (Mexico) was heavily impacted by her experience on the island. “I was able to see the reality of the hurricane,” she expressed. “Their homes were destroyed and they lost everything, but this wasn’t their life before the hurricane.”
This motivated Tamara and her teammates to be intentional in sharing hope in all their interactions. “All the people we connected with were open to talk about what happened, I think as a way to process everything,” shared Tamara.
The power of knowledge
Meanwhile, back on board the ship, crewmembers were privileged to donate books to eight different organisations, five of which were schools from the islands that had lost resources in the storm. Representatives from each school came to the bookfair and selected books that would best suit the needs of their students.
Ms. Afyah Patrice from a school in Petite Martinique, shared her story. “We have four buildings and for two of those buildings, the entire roofs came off and there was a lot of structural damage…” she described. “The whole library – there wasn’t anything there when we got back. All the windows were smashed and all the books were completely ruined with the water.”
Mrs. Ann Hosten, from a school in Carriacou, shared that literature is valued across the nation. She was especially grateful to receive resources to replenish her school’s library. “We want to thank you very much,” she began. “Knowledge is power. I trust that this will enhance the things that the children will read and I know that they will become confident and fluent in their reading.”
Joy that will last a lifetime
The crew also had the opportunity to visit one of the schools that received book donations. While interacting with the students they were able to see new joy.
Literacy coordinator Mrs. Gulston encouraged those who played a part in making this joy possible, “When you send one hand it is not just that hand alone that you’re sending. That hand goes to more people and it’s a repeat affect… This donation of books not only helps our college, but it’s helping families and students from every village and every parish of Grenada.”
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