PRESS RELEASE - Boka Group, the owners of the Belvedere Plantation and Mahaut Estate near Canaries, received welcome tidings at the official launch of their “FOOD4THOUGHT” initiative held on Thursday at the Canaries Primary School.
Miss Laura Francis (School Principal) reported that following the commencement of the Program, which also includes all children attending both Canaries Junior and Infants and the Bouton School, attendance levels had soared to over 90%.
Boka Group’s “FOOD4THOUGHT” Programme Sponsorship, has removed the financial burden of the daily cost of School Meals which parents have traditionally been expected to pay; some of those parents, faced with this burden had previously resorted to withholding their children from School due to lack of funds.
Some 284 Students from the Canaries and Bouton schools now already benefit from this first Phase of the Programme which commenced on October 1st, 2014.
At the official launch, Chief Education Officer Marcus Edward explained the close cooperation that had taken place between the Ministry of Education and Boka Group, which led to the realisation of the initiative. He was followed at the podium by John Kennedy, Founder and CEO of Boka Group, who outlined the rationale for his Company’s support for the local community.
John Kennedy said: “As the owners of Belvedere Plantation and the Mahaut Estate at Belvedere- Canaries we are already part of this community and must exercise our corporate social responsibility from the outset. Well fed students produce focused minds and focused minds allow young students to achieve. This is the first part of a process in which pupils can take the best advantage arising out of the education provided for them. A friend of mine, on hearing of this initiative reminded me of the words of Sir Arthur Lewis, who said, “The answer to poverty is not just money, it’s education”.
“We believe that to have a local community able to take advantage of future employment opportunities at Belvedere Plantation, they need to take full advantage of education in their formative years. It would be a tragedy if they were to miss out because of lack of funds for food, leaving them unable to access the work place in the future, consigning them to a perpetual struggle for resources and food”.
John Kennedy has urged other businesses in Saint Lucia to adopt a school and has said that the company will happily discuss the programme with any such body that wishes to sponsor its own “FOOD4THOUGHT” initiative.
Attending the Launch Ceremony were District Representative for Anse La Raye and Canaries Dr Desmond Long and Hon Harold Dalson District Rep for Soufriere and Bouton who expressed their sincere appreciation at the “generous Private Sector Boka Group gesture”.
They were joined at the head table by Boka Estates Ltd (Saint Lucia), Chairman, Malcolm Charles OBE, George Alcindor, Managing Director and Canaries Infant School Principal Mrs Simona Jn Baptiste and Bouton combined school principle Mrs Bernadette Southwell.
Boka Group through its local Company, Boka Estates Limited, are the owners of the Mahaut Estate and Belvedere Plantation, purchased in 2013 with the capital of the founders and no bank lending or security against the property.
They plan an US$80m investment to create a Plantation Hotel, comprising Hotel and Plantation Cottages and Houses with up to 250 beds, a Rain Forest Spa, restaurants and Beach Bar – to be called the Cane Club.
The low density build will see just 6% of the area built and a tree planting programme replacing any specimens that have to be moved during the construction process.
The facility will reinitiate agricultural production on the Plantation and is intending to work with local stake holders for the provision of food as part of its feature “Sustainable Menu”. Low impact and low-energy solutions are part of the design criteria, as is water security, minimising impact on existing infrastructure.