A world-wide religious organisation is the latest grouping to assist the Government and people of Anguilla with relief supplies following the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma.
The benevolent organisation is the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), “an international humanitarian agency operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church for the purpose of providing individual and community development and disaster relief.” It has its headquarters in Maryland, United States.
Two officials, attached to the North Caribbean Conference of Seventh-day Adventists and involved in the work of ADRA, are in Anguilla this week to administer the relief effort. They are Pastor Desmond James, President of the St. Croix-based Conference, and Pastor Wilmoth James, Executive Secretary and ADRA Director with the Conference. They are being assisted by Elder Griffith Webster, an Anguillian who came from ADRA Canada to volunteer his services.
“As a church, we have an organisation where we care and the Adventist Relief Disaster Agency is an arm that we use to respond to disasters. We have mobilised the church in Anguilla and have volunteers coming out to respond to the disaster,” the Conference President told The Anguillian newspaper. We are ten islands and all of them have been devastated and dislocated by the two hurricanes – first by Irma and then by Maria. This is now our response by coming out to visit our island territories to assess the damage, and see how we can respond to the needs of the people.
“Our first response is to those who have been dispossessed of the basic necessities of life – food, water and shelter and how we can help them. We have two responses: the initial response is to meet their immediate needs so that they can be comfortable and not hungry; and the second response will be the recovery where we will help them to rebuild their homes etc.
“We have deposited over thirty-five thousand US dollars in this venture – funded by the Adventist Development Relief Agency. This is to benefit the community at large. The volunteers are going to disperse the supplies across the Anguilla community to all those who are in need.”
Pastor Wilmoth James joined the President of the Conference in expressing ADRA’s pleasure in assisting the Anguilla community. He said the food supplies were an output of love to all persons regardless of denominations, creed or culture. “We have extended it in other parts of the region. We have been in Tortola, St. Martin/St. Maarten, Dominica and the US territories,” he said.
The ADRA official continued: “We have also dialogued with the Anguilla Government to see if we can develop an ADRA Chapter in Anguilla… to be of a quicker response to the people of the island when disaster strikes.” He added that the food supplies were purchased in Anguilla from the US 35,000 dollars committed to the relief effort.
The distribution centre for the large quantity of food and water supplies is the Anguilla Seventh-day Adventist District Office in the Mason Complex on the
Ground main road.
