 The St. Lucia Red Cross is embracing fully its mandate to alleviate the suffering of the most vulnerable whilst promoting human dignity and social inclusion. A special ceremony was held on Wednesday where the St. Lucia Red Cross and the Japanese ambassador signed an agreement under the grant assistance for grassroots human security projects. The government of Japan has committed to providing financial aid to the St. Lucia Red Cross to assist those in need and to procure a special vehicle allowing for wheelchair access. President of the St. Lucia Red Cross, Yubat Yair, explained that the Japanese government has been a reliable and dependable ally and the receipt of this aid will enable the Red Cross to continue fulfilling its mandate. It is important to know that the St. Lucia Red Cross will continue, and I want to re-emphasize this point, will continue not to assist ourselves, but rather to assist the general public. And though this vehicle will be housed here, it belongs to the general public for use. We have been working with people with disabilities for a long time. We have been having youth camps with children with disabilities. And also, we have had challenges when it came to transporting them. Even at the St. Lucia Red Cross headquarters, it was difficult for us to get people with wheelchairs to come up. And of course, we made the effort to ensure that accessibility can be had by such persons. Suffice it to say, this is a continuation in what we hope to achieve in this country. Ambassador of Japan to St. Lucia, His Excellency Tatsuya Iriyama, highlighted the importance of the work done by the St. Lucia Red Cross. I always find my deepest respect to the Red Cross Society for its global role and also for its community-level activities. I trust that the high discipline of the Red Cross Society will enable the procured vehicle under the grant assistance scheme to be utilized most efficiently and effectively. As in the case of our previous assistance projects, this vehicle will become a symbol of our friendship and cooperation between our two countries. Indeed, when the procured vehicle starts its operation, a helping hand to those who are in need will be very satisfied with the investment of about 35,000 US dollars from our own national budget. As a humanitarian and a cooperative value, it worths so much more than its monetary value. Terensia Gilad, Director General of the St. Lucia Red Cross, expressed gratitude to the government and people of Japan. It's about nine months ago I started this process in getting the vehicle. I wish to thank the government and people of Japan for once more putting their trust in the St. Lucia Red Cross. As the president mentioned, this is not the first time that we have gone into a partnership. But it's a second vehicle we are getting and we have also gotten two Japanese volunteers to work with the Red Cross. And we are indeed happy for the government and people of Japan for always coming to our system. The signing ceremony was held on Wednesday 10th March 2021.