CASTRIES, St. Lucia, Aug 20, CMC – The St. Lucia government has made a donation of more than EC$240,000 (One EC dollar=US$0.37 cents) towards the “Seeds for Justice: Peace and Economic Prosperity” initiative, a project dedicated to addressing the root causes of violence in vulnerable communities.
Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre said that the funds to the UBUNTU Movement, came from the Citizenship by Investment Programme (CBI) that provides citizenship to foreign nationals in return for making a substantial investment in the socio-economic development of the island.
The “Seeds for Justice” project, spearheaded by the UBUNTU Movement, is a joint venture with Citizens for Peace and Prosperity, Rise St. Lucia, Safe Spaces, and the Collective 100-Hours Volunteer Champion.
Since 2023, the initiative has made strides, including uniting mothers who have lost children to gun violence and initiating truce talks among rival gangs. These efforts supplement government-led interventions by providing a community-driven conflict resolution and healing approach.
The “Seeds for Justice” project said with the financial assistance, it will advance to a new phase called “Olive Branch” which is aimed at furthering the UBUNTU Movement’s impact by launching youth leadership and childcare programmes as well as exploring economic empowerment opportunities, and organizing a peace concert.
Additionally, the SEEDS project said it intends to develop an integral partnership with other non-government organization’s (NGO) as well as the police, and the private and public sectors.
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