LNG production company Atlantic has implemented initiatives valued at some TT$6 million to help mitigate the impact of the pandemic in its home community Point Fortin and the wider South West Peninsula.
In the area of education, Atlantic will become a partner in the “Adopt a School” initiative recently launched by the Ministry of Education. Atlantic will adopt 34 schools in the St. Patrick Education District and supply some 1600 new laptops and tablets for primary and secondary school students.
Atlantic has also donated eleven (11) ventilators to the Ministry of Health. The ventilators were handed over to the newly constructed Point Fortin Hospital and have been donated to support the nationwide parallel health care system where they can help improve chances for recovery of high-risk patients who have contracted the coronavirus.
In the area of food security, Atlantic will also partner with the Sustainable Unemployment Reduction Efforts (SURE) Foundation to fund and distribute 330,000 seedlings for use within the South West Peninsula. This initiative aims to encourage sustainable food production during the current period of economic hardship facing several families due to the pandemic. Farmers who are beneficiaries of Atlantic’s Loan for Enterprise and Network Development (LEND) Agency will also receive seedlings, further bolstering the local food chain.
Dr. Philip Mshelbila, CEO, Atlantic explained that the three initiatives were the result of the company’s desire to help Point Fortin children and families affected by the pandemic.
“One of Atlantic’s highest aspirations is to build sustainability in our home community Point Fortin and in wider Trinidad and Tobago, creating opportunities and long-term value for the next generation,” Mshelbila said. “The pandemic has obviously posed some challenges in this regard, but we are committed to coming alongside our community to help wherever feasible, and we are targeting the children and also those who are vulnerable.”
Mshelbila said the new laptops and tablets devices will help 1174 primary and 361 secondary school students attend online classes, which are currently the norm for local education due to existing anti-pandemic measures. Another 71 students will benefit from new devices contributed directly by members of Atlantic’s management team. Delivery of the laptops and tablets to the students will begin in the short term.
Since the onset of the pandemic, Atlantic has also organized monthly donations of care packages to institutions caring for vulnerable persons within Point Fortin. These packages included fresh produce from farmers who are beneficiaries of Atlantic’s Loan for Enterprise and Network Development (LEND) Agency based in Cedros.