Local Businessmen Emile Depooter and Robert Tonge of WeForward the FreightMaster, donated three thousand face masks, over thirty digital temperature readers, thirty hand sanitizer dispensers, and fifty gallons of hand sanitizer to representatives of the Ministry of Education on Wednesday, March 3, 2021. The ceremony took place at the Measurement and Education, Science and Technology Building on Cornwall Street, Roseau.
“I was listening to the radio, and I understood that parents and teachers were concerned that a lot of children do not come to school with masks simply because they cannot afford it. I thought this situation is something that we all need to come together and try to assist because COVID-19 is a global pandemic. It is affecting everybody. So, I reached out to some people in the business world that I know and told them that though everything is difficult with everyone right now, we really need to try to assist Dominica and the students in Dominica especially. I reached out to a group of people who prefer to refer to themselves as ‘friends of Dominica.’ They agreed to donate five thousand USD (5000USD) worth of products to Dominica to protect children and others from COVID. So here it is I used that money to get over three thousand masks (for adults and children), over 30 digital thermometers that the schools will need, and also thirty hand sanitizer dispensers. I was also able to get fifty (50) gallons of hand sanitizer for the dispensers. We didn’t want to single out any particular school, so we decided to make this presentation to the Ministry of Education. They will then determine what schools they should distribute to, especially the ones in need,” said Emile Depooter.
WeForward the FreightMaster covered the cost to transport the items to Dominica. They also protested against the fees charged to items designated to fight COVID-19 and other diseases. They encouraged the authorities to take action on this matter.
“So, through WeForward the FreightMaster, we decided to provide free shipping for those items. Also, we paid the import duties, taxes, and port charges on the items, which I hope the authorities can look at in the future. We should not pay for things that will protect us from COVID-19 and other diseases,” said Emile Depooter.
Mr. Depooter and Mr. Tonge extend gratitude to the donors, and they are committed to the fight against COVID-19.
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