 Welcome to Nation Beat. I am Janelle Novel bringing you this brief on the pulse of our nation and highlights around the heart of St. Lucia. Youth from the south of the island are now benefiting from the National Apprenticeship Programme. An operation to read communities of derelict vehicles is underway and connecting the public to the founding principles of the Credit Union movement. Residents from around the island may soon experience a reduction in breeding sites for vectors, particularly rats and mosquitoes. A joint operation between key government agencies to remove derelict vehicles along the carriageways while securing public health has gotten underway. The St. Lucia Solid Waste Management Authority, in collaboration with the Environmental Health Division in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, has embarked on the removal of 364 derelict vehicles from the island's roadways. 81 vehicles, or 29%, have since been removed. The call is being made for greater participation and cooperation from vehicle owners. Davis Mathery is the Zonal Officer with the St. Lucia Solid Waste Management Authority. It's a month-to-month basis and we're aiming to at least remove between 15 to 20 vehicles every month. I know it's going to take a while, but we're at least urging the public to at least meet us halfway. The Ministry is doing the public education part, the Environmental Health Department, the Vector Division. Solid Waste is also doing their part in removing the vehicles. So at least we're urging the public at least say be aware, be more conscious of your surroundings, be aware that there's a lot of work being done by the various agencies and as individuals you could at least make play your part. Under the Waste Management Act No. 38 of 2004, an authorized officer may at any time without giving any notice, remove the derelict vehicle, white goods or any other kind of scrap metal left or caused to be left and may recover from the owner thereof the expenses reasonably incurred in connection with such removal. However, despite the provisions under the law, officials are appealing for cooperation from the public. The individuals, especially if they're planning to do some work on their vehicles, we also encourage them not, hey, you're done doing the work on the vehicles within a timely manner. Your responsibility to at least transport the derelicts to the landfill, do not leave them on the roadside. In most cases, when you try to find the owners, it's always a difficulty until the day the vehicle is being removed and then there's always an issue. Environmental Health Officer Charlotte Charles said abandoned vehicles creates active and potential breeding sites for vectors such as rats and mosquitoes which are responsible for the spread of diseases such as leptospirosis, dengue, chicken gunner and zika. So what we want to do is to encourage persons if you have a vehicle which is no longer of use for you that you need to get rid of it appropriately or not inappropriately. What it does, it creates other environmental spills which can affect the larger community on the whole. So we're just hoping that the community realizes the negative impact that abandoned vehicles can have on our house and that they would take the necessary steps to get rid of not just abandoned vehicles but overall the garbage responsibly. Earlier this week, officials directed the removal of this abandoned vehicle in the north of the island, creating one less breeding site for vectors. For the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Glenn Simon reporting. The National Apprenticeship Program, an initiative by the Government of St. Lucia to help alleviate the high unemployment rate amongst the youth, especially in the south of the island, is now offering hospitality training. Monroe College on Friday celebrated the launch of the new International Hospitality Training Institute. The initiative is a partnership between the College and the National Apprenticeship Program and is geared at preparing residents for entry-level travel and tourism jobs. We have selected the right people to run this program because Monroe College really believes in practitioners teaching the class. We don't believe in theoretical education, we believe in practical education. So the people whom we have selected are people who have worked in the industry for several years, so they are bringing the practical application to you so that you will go and perform and make more money than what they are making today. President of the St. Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association, Caroline Trebottskoy, highlighted the launch as a move in the right direction in equipping the people of St. Lucia with the requisite skills for the sector. The partnership between Monroe College and the St. Lucia government is an excellent example of how collaboration between private and public sector interests can unlock excellent new opportunities for our young people. And when we speak of opportunity, we don't only refer to employment in the industry, but the opportunity of unlocking and developing a spirit of entrepreneurship among you, our young people. By exposing you to learning new skills in this professional hospitality training environment. Andreas Jaupier is currently enrolled in the bartending program and is looking forward to the available opportunities upon completion of his studies. I see this as an opportunity to enhance my education, especially in this field. It is a great initiative by the government and also by Monroe College to empower us youth to educate ourselves to better serve the community and by extension the world. The International Hospitality Training Institute is located in Viewfort. For the Government Information Service, I am General Norville. The Ministry of Health with the financial support of the Pan-American Health Organization, is making a deliberate attempt to improve the mindsets, the approach and the services of healthcare workers when dealing with key populations and by extension the public. On Tuesday, October 16th, a 40 stigma and discrimination training workshop comments at the Ministry of Health. Dr. Gil Gadjada is the Acting Senior Medical Officer for infectious diseases. We can encounter stigma or discrimination in many facets of our life and in our work life as well. Stigma is all about attitudes and the feeling of one group of people feeling that they are better than another, one person feeling that they are better than another and causing that person to feel smaller, like a small person. Discrimination is about an action and doing something to make a person feel that they are not worthy. So the idea of the workshop is to sensitize healthcare workers. We have participants from St. Jude Hospital, from Victoria Hospital and from our Sex and Reproductive Health Clinic. And it's to sensitize our workers to the facts, what can happen, how to deal with it when it occurs, how we may actually be causing stigma or discriminating against another person, how they would feel, how we may unconsciously do it and how to avoid doing so and how to manage with persons who do so in the work environment. Meanwhile, workshop facilitator Patricia Isaac Joseph said if the HIV and tuberculosis pandemic is to be eradicated, then so must the societal barriers. One of the issues we recognize is that if people are not comfortable, they don't think they'll be treated right or they don't feel like their privacy or confidentiality is going to be maintained. They will not access the services. And we need persons who are living with HIV or TB to come in for their checks, to come in for their treatment and to take their treatment as they should. Otherwise we may end up with problems of drug resistance or just their own health getting worse and worse. Joseph said during the training workshop, emphasis will be placed on introspection in relation to self-awareness, attitudes, values and beliefs as these are factors affecting stigma and discrimination. From the communications unit in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Miguel Morris said reporting. This is Nation Beat. We're back in a moment. Everyone is at risk forgetting a foodborne illness. While most foodborne illness cases are mild and go unreported, long-term health complications and even death can occur from a foodborne illness. Foodborne illnesses are caused by contamination of food at any stage of preparation. If you are a food handler involved in home-based food production, meat, fish, chicken or a big shop, as a food vendor, how you prepare food can put your customers at risk. Do you know the risks and how to avoid them? The St. Lucia Bureau of Standards can help you. For more information, contact the St. Lucia Bureau of Standards at 456-0546 or email SLBS at candw.lc or visit the website at www.slbs.org.lc St. Lucia Bureau of Standards, making quality and standards our way of life. Welcome back! The fundamental principles of the Credit Union movement resounded with the public as Credit Union celebrated the 70th International Credit Union Day. Harris Anisia Antoine. Credit unions in St. Lucia joined their affiliate organizations from around the world in highlighting the value of the cooperative spirit which is rooted in small communities. Credit Union is just not a name. It has a purpose. Also, we believe that cooperative is the best way to do business because that way it brings democracy to the movement. It is one man, one vote, irrespective of the amount you invest in the Credit Union. Also, the Credit Union teaches people to pool their resources. The St. Lucia Cooperative League, which represents 16 credit unions with 92,000 members, visited all its affiliate members preaching the message of people coming together to advance their financial interests. One of the points I always like to re-emphasize is that Credit Unions are cooperatives. Corporatives are people working and cooperating together for the betterment of all its members. So at the end of the day, while people want to differentiate credit unions from other cooperatives, we want to make it clear credit unions are cooperatives. The success of the credit movement is also being celebrated. The 16 credit unions located throughout the island have an asset base of over $870 million. The League is seeking to engage its members on discussions on how the credit unions can adequately meet the needs of its members. There is also an opportunity for us now to engage them in talk and engage them in discussion and engage them of sorts as it pertains to what really affects them or certain things that we may not have done or some things they commend us on what we do. So the opportunity, it presents a medium for us to speak with them and get to know what is really happening which will invariably cause us to improve our operations. Credit Union Day is celebrated throughout the island with a series of activities ranging from breakfast to health fairs and informational sessions. We always give back. We have breakfast with our members. We have a one-on-one chat with our members and most of the credit unions now, they have this activity where they give back to their members. Members come in, you meet your members on a one-on-one. Most of them engage in health fairs. It's all the credit unions. They have a week of activities. The celebration of credit unions continues throughout October, Credit Union Month. From the Government Information Service, I am Anisia Antoine reporting. The Water and Sewage Company, WASCO has joined forces with the Ministry of Health and Wellness with the aim of creating a healthier nation. The Ministry of Health and Wellness along with other health and safety agencies took their services to WASCO's premises on Wednesday, 17 October as part of WASCO's second annual health fair. Some of the services included dental, HIV, diabetic, vision, gynecology services, among others. Family Life Educator General Alexander Dupre said when persons are reluctant to visit their doctors, one must find innovative ways to get the doctors to the people if the Ministry is to accomplish its goals. Every day we don't get the opportunity to go see our doctors, our nurses and us at the Ministry are able to come to the workplaces and get in touch with the individuals, getting them to get all their screenings done and getting to know what their numbers are and what would be the next steps, if anything, unfortunately that we find something wrong with them. Meanwhile, Occupational Health and Safety Officer Malvia Hippolyt said it was pleasing to see the level of participation. So far it's been very good. The employees are taking the initiative and actually going to the different booths without us prompting them. They seem to be very receptive of what we've put together here for them today. We also have people from the public as they enter the customer service department. They too are actually taking part in the health fair. The water and sewage company implemented creative ways of motivating staff to partake in the health fair. We give them a health and safety passport and with each passport there's a section for each agent we have here and when they visit each agent they would get a sticker which represents that they will present and at the end of the day would have a raffle and they would enjoy a grand prize. Hippolyt added that a healthy workforce is important to the organization as it seeks to achieve its mission. From the Communications Unit in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Miguel Morris is reporting. That's a nation beat. Join us next time on NTN at 7.30 p.m. with a repeat at 7.30 a.m. and on this station as we fill the pulse and heart of our community. You can also catch up with us anytime on the St. Lucia Government Facebook page or YouTube channel. I am Janelle Norville.