Prime Minister Drew Urges Citizens to Take Advantage of Sanitation Assistance Program

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts —November 13, 2024 (PMO) – At an event promoting the government’s Sanitation Assistance Program (SAP), Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Terrance Drew in emphasizing the initiative’s transformative impact, called on citizens without proper bathroom facilities to register and take full advantage of the program. SAP, which focuses on eliminating pit latrines throughout St. Kitts and Nevis, underscores the government’s dedication to providing every citizen with access to modern, dignified living conditions.

“This program, the Sanitation Assistance Program, is really taking St. Kitts and Nevis to the next level,” Prime Minister Drew said. “The objective really is to eradicate pit latrines from our country. Our country is a modern country, a high-income country, one of the most educated in CARICOM, ranking highest in the Human Development Index. It means we must do what is necessary to reflect that status.”

During his remarks, Prime Minister Drew shared personal stories to underscore the importance of SAP and how it uplifts communities by providing basic, yet life-changing, amenities. He recounted a visit to Keys Village in late 2013 that inspired the inception of SAP, where he encountered a man living in a small, rundown wooden house without access to basic sanitation. The man relied on a plastic bag for his needs, an experience that deeply affected the Prime Minister and catalyzed the program’s launch.

“I realized there was no toilet facility,” Dr. Drew shared. “What he did was use a plastic bag and throw it out the window. To think that in 2013, in St. Kitts and Nevis, someone was living like that… it was unimaginable.” The Prime Minister described how community members came together to paint the new structure built for the man, symbolizing community solidarity and shared pride.

The Sanitation Assistance Program, managed by the National Housing Corporation (NHC) in collaboration with the Ministry of Human Settlement and the Department of Constituency Empowerment, seeks to ensure that even the most vulnerable citizens have access to sanitary bathroom facilities. Prime Minister Drew underscored the significance of this program in upholding the nation’s vision of a sustainable and equitable society.

“You cannot imagine what a bathroom with a flush toilet does to the dignity and pride of one of your fellow citizens,” he said, stressing the profound impact of providing such facilities to those in need. “This is why NHC was created — so that nobody in St. Kitts and Nevis will live like this again.”

The Prime Minister used the opportunity to commend the tireless efforts of the NHC and related ministries in driving the SAP forward. He emphasized that while this initiative does not generate profit for the organization, it fulfills the NHC’s core mission of serving the public good.

“These bathroom facilities are free. But it is significant because when you look at where we have come from, this is why NHC exists. Each time you want to be inspired as to why NHC is here, just take a look and say to yourself, never, ever again.”

The Prime Minister urged citizens to take advantage of the program and register, highlighting the government’s dedication to fostering a society where all people can live with dignity and security.