 Welcome to NTN Nightly, I am Janelle Norvell, this edition's top stories. An all-Belgian crew sails to victory in the Arc 2020. Two major climate-resilient structures are being funded under the Disaster of Vulnerability Reduction Project and local produce in full display. On Thursday 3rd December, the first arrival of Arc 2020 sailed triumphantly into the IGUI Ronny B. Marina in the Atlantic crossing that began in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria on Sunday 22nd November. Bonsai crossed the finish line claiming a new multi-hulled record for the Arc course. Bonsai blitz across the Atlantic in just under 11 days. The all-Belgian crew on board was delighted and their chairs echoed around the bay. They were presented with a customary St. Lucian rum punch and a Belgian basket of local produce as applause rang out from the Arc Rally Control Team. A large number of the competing vessels are expected to arrive here by the weekend under strict enforcement of COVID-19 protocols. The over-200-year-old Victor Archer building at the Sa'afa Lewis Community College is being rehabilitated to withstand long-term climate impact under the Disaster of Vulnerability Reduction Project. Jesse Leos has the details. The Disaster Vulnerability Reduction Project DVRP aims to reduce disaster susceptibility and increase long-term climate resilience in St. Lucia by addressing the multi-faceted risk associated with hydrometriological events. The DVRP also finances the reconstruction activities that are to be implemented to rectify the damages caused by Hurricane Tomas and the December 2013 floods. The Sa'afa Lewis Community College's Victor Archer building, built in the 1800s and serving the Division of Arts, Science and General Studies, was badly damaged. In the mid-2000s we had an earthquake that damaged the building and in 2010 we also suffered further damage with Hurricane Tomas and that just meant that we were not able to use the top floor after Hurricane Tomas. It came in here in 2016. It was already in a deplorable condition. We found that when it rained that water will come through the roof, penetrate the upper floor and then come and disturb the classes. So in effect when it was raining we could not have used this floor. The Dean's office had to be moved. The admin offices to support the Dean and the students also had to be moved. The building holds six large classrooms, many of them holding as many as 60 students. That also had to be moved. So it meant that the college had to find space to ensure that the administrative functions of the unit continued and that the students had a classroom to do the learning in. So it made life very difficult for us. In 2018 the building was decommissioned, thus displacing and inconveniencing hundreds of students and faculty. The South Lewis Community College made an official request for funding in May 2013 and this request was supported by central government. Designs and estimates were invited by local independent contractors. By mid-2016 the bidding process commenced but the final design was completed in March 2018. On June 1st, 2020 contracts were signed to rehabilitate the over 200-year-old two-story Victor Archer building at a cost of $2.9 million. Through a competitive bidding process the contract was awarded to Mega Construction Inc. We have to install new ceilings. The floor in is bad so we have to redo those. We have to give it a facelift in terms of the aesthetics. We want to ensure that the building maintains the same appearance as the surrounding buildings. The construction involves steel beams along with timber floor joists and on top you have a wooden floor. Now if you look closely, if you look closely you could see that there's some deterioration and possibly due to wet rot or termite infestation somewhere along the lines. So hence the reason why this floor will have to be properly assessed. When complete the Victor Archer building will consist six large classrooms on the top floor inclusive of a language lab and an administrative office whereas the ground floor will comprise three spacious classrooms, a small kitchen and a departmental archive. This project is expected to be complete by June 2021. From the Government Information Service, I am Jesse Leance reporting. Meantime the DVRP's impact in lives in Miku as the construction of a modern wellness centre is nearing completion. Rajvara Lawrence tells us more. 13,429 persons call Miku North and South Home. These residents can now look forward to a state-of-the-art wellness centre replacing a residential building which was configured to accommodate patients and provide healthcare services. The construction of the Miku wellness centre has been a priority for the Government. I should say for the last 15 years and has been in negotiation. We had demolished the older facility with the aim of reconstructing however that funding fell through so we then had to seek alternative funding. On January 7th 2020, the contract for construction of the Miku wellness centre was signed heralding a new modern era of healthcare for residents of Miku and neighbouring communities. The construction of the wellness centre is being funded and implemented through the Government's Disaster Vulnerability Reduction Project DVRP which aims to build the country's resilience to climate change impacts including stronger hurricanes, more frequent flood and drought events and varied health sector impacts such as increased incidence of vector-borne diseases like dengue fever. The Ministry of Health ensured comprehensive community engagement long before any bricks were laid. The community was very vocal in terms of articulating what their needs were and we came out with about four possible locations. After that we then returned to the community for a second consultation when we had done the designs and they gave us feedback into what they would like the facility to look like. We tweaked that and we proceeded with the construction of the facility. The construction is scheduled to take 12 months and started in January 2020. From the onset, there were challenges. Construction started in January 9th 2020, we started with a full force but then due to COVID I think March we had a shutdown for a month. We had some difficulties with materials, COVID impacted materials as well so the procurement of materials became an issue and many times we had to probably slow down work as a result of this. Despite the challenges, there has been significant progress. As of November 2020, this 4,000 square feet modern health facility is 70% complete. This is where all the dental works will be done. This is where you come and sit in the nice big chair and you get the nice numbing drugs. At the back here we have a storage. This storage will be only legalized or only be authorized by the dentists or the people working in this section. These little windows up here we call them skylights or fixed lights. These windows will take light from one room and jump into the next room to decrease the cost of electricity bill inside the building. In here we have what we call a pharmacy so therefore you don't need to go down to view for to get your basic needs or basic drugs. You can also come here inside of Meekoo Wellness Center to get your drugs. This is the pharmacy. This place will have a nice big sofa and table of six chairs and also have a TV and it has a male and female bathroom fully equipped. The Meekoo Wellness Center was first proposed by Sir John Compton in 1992. Today, $4.1 million in special funding from the World Bank through the DVRP will ensure that the facility is compliant with global standards for healthcare delivery and is designed to withstand climate change impacts. From the Government Information Service, Rojvaro Lawrence reporting. In other resilience news, a broad-based project to support actions to mitigate climate change and its serious health impacts in St. Lucia and other Caribbean nations has been launched. The European Union Care Reforms Strengthening Climate Resilience Health Systems project is a joint project of the EU and CARICUM and the Pan-American Health Organization PAHO is coordinating. Its aim is to advance public understanding of climate change effects and strengthen the ability of health systems to respond to climate-related health impacts. In a virtual meeting on Tuesday 1st December, PAHO Director Dr. Caricia Etienne emphasized the need for an integrated response to climate change. This project represents the first regional interdisciplinary effort of its kind that will synergize Caribbean technical support, advance the public's understanding of the impacts from climate change on health, and build the case for strengthening the health response. We are at a crucial point in time in the Americas when we must increase our solidarity and intergovernmental collaboration to address these issues that are arguably the health challenges of the century. Dr. Etienne adds that the EU Care Reform Climate Change and Health Project will also assist regional nations in accessing funding for coping with climate change. She says that PAHO would also work to assist Caribbean nations in getting financial assistance through the Green Climate Fund. CARICUM meanwhile continues to advocate for financing that takes into consideration a country's exposure to hazard. The WHO says that between 2030 and 2050, climate change is expected to cause approximately 250,000 additional deaths per year from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea, and heat stress. The direct damage cost to health is estimated to be between US$2 billion per year by 2030. Tellingly, areas with weak health infrastructure, mostly in developing countries, will be at least able to cope without assistance to prepare and respond. It is therefore critical that our member states have access to concessional development financing based on a universal vulnerability index. The beneficiary countries of the project are St. Lucia, Antigone, Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, Dominica, Dominica Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. This is NTM Nightly, please stay with us. The St. Lucia Bureau of Standards invites public comment on the following draft standards. Food safety, hazard analysis and critical control point-hazard system requirements. Food safety prerequisite programs and good hygiene practices, general principles, package natural coconut water code of practice, package natural coconut water specification, process food brewed products labelling requirements, process foods carbonated beverages specification, process foods ketchup specification, process foods brewed product specification. The deadline for comment is Monday 1st February 2021. For further information, visit our website at www.slbs.org or call 4530049 for quick access scanned QR code below. Welcome back. Local produce and agri-products were in full display as farmers from across the island showcase their offerings. The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Natural Resources and Cooperatives recently held a three-day Farmers Market Expo at the Castry City Hall. The Expo aimed to bring farmers, agro-processors and their products to the fore, creating more awareness and encouraging the public to buy local. KMA Profit is an agricultural officer in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Natural Resources and Cooperatives. As part of the Seven Crop Project, which has been ongoing for the past year, it's basically one of our objectives to try to reduce our food import bill in St. Lucia by 40% by the end of the project. This is just one avenue in trying to reduce the food import bill and getting persons to eat more healthy, eat local, support our local economy, support our local vendors, our local farmers, and this is why we are here today. So you come in, you get to see what is actually happening in the island and you get to patronize your own people, the money stays in St. Lucia and of course it helps our economy. The initiative which forms part of the Seven Crops Project has picked up momentum since it began in July 2019, having hosted a number of farmers markets around the island. Profit noted however that hosting the farmers market this time around was a bit more challenging. It is a little bit more challenging than prior to the other farmers market that we have had in terms of you need to try to limit the number of persons who come in and show that the hand sanitizing is done, temperature checks and so on. However, I am glad to say that it is not a deterrent. Persons are still coming in to patronize and to see what's happening and to take part and of course make purchases and of course at this point to make little linkages where you could probably purchase continuously from a particular vendor from coming in and seeing what is actually happening here. Farmers involved in the Seven Crops Project have been certified and trained in safe food production and show potential in helping to meet one of the pivotal objectives of the program, that of reducing the island's $7 million food import bill by having cantaloupes, honeydew, melons, lettuce, tomatoes, pineapples, watermelons, cabbages and bell peppers readily available for purchasers of the hospitality industry, retailers and consumers. First National Bank has partnered with several key business professionals in presenting the St. Lucian public with a wealth of wisdom for 2021. The local bank released its 2021 calendar earlier this month, featuring 13 of the island's most prominent business leaders. Here's Homer DeMark. COVID-19 has affected the livelihood of many St. Lucians and has negatively impacted the economy. In light of the many uncertainties brought about by this pandemic, the management of First National Bank is hoping to assist and inspire with an initiative and ties old wealth of wisdom for the year 2021. This initiative will feature key business professionals on the bank's 2021 calendar and this theme will also be featured as part of the entity's Stanley Fringe Education Forum. 2020 has been not only the most challenging year for most if not all St. Lucians, but some might even say one of the most depressing years that we have seen. And we wanted to start 2021 with some level of hope, something that we could aspire to, something to tell us it's not all lost, reposition, retool and get ready for 2021. He says St. Lucia has many experienced business leaders with a wealth of wisdom to share, from which the society can benefit. The guiding principle was seasoned experience, years of service and we conceptualized, okay, who are the Fortune 500 of St. Lucia and what can we learn from them? What nuggets could they leave with aspiring entrepreneurs, business professionals, and even SMEs to inspire them to take chances in 2021. Don't be despondent about how 2020 panned out. There is hope, there is opportunity, you just have to keep going out and seeking it. The First National Bank 2021 wealth of wisdom calendar begins with Sir Michael Shastney and ends in January 2022 with Dr. Romile Dineil. The new calendars are available for free at all First National Bank branches from the Government Information Service. How many more, reporting. That brings us to the end of NTN Nightly. Join us next time at 7pm with a repeat at 7am. You can also catch up with us anytime on the St. Lucia Government Facebook page or YouTube channel. I am Janelle Norville.