BRADES – The calls kept coming and by the end of the almost three hours of the Montserrat Haiti Relief Radiothon on Thursday night, a total of EC$ 51,134. had been pledged to support the people of Haiti suffering after Tuesday’s devastating earthquake.
Radio Montserrat (ZJB) hosted the Radiothon in collaboration with the Montserrat Red Cross and the Montserrat chapter of the Rotary Club. These two organizations will accept the funds raised and distribute them through their respective channels already established in Haiti.
The event was hosted by Jeevan Robinson of mnialive.com along with a panel, which included journalist Ben Meade of the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC), Cassandra Ryan of the Royal Bank of Canada, Ann Thomas of the Montserrat Red Cross and Sheree Jemmotte-Rodney of the Montserrat Rotary Club
In addition to money, several people pledged clothes and other items, which will be collected by the Red Cross in the coming days.
Two local residents from Haiti were also in the studio sharing their thoughts and anguish of not having any contact with family back home. Silane, a Haitian national who owns a small grocery says she was prepared to return home but on the advice of Chief Minister Reuben Meade and Minister of Health Colin Riley, she will wait until things have settled down and more information is available.
Ben Meade, who covers Caribbean politics for CMC spoke about his experiences visiting Haiti prior to this devastation and the shock at seeing great edifices, such as the National Palace in ruins. He also encouraged the public to stay involved in Haiti’s recovery and not forget about it, even after the media focus shifts to another crisis in some other part of the world.
Several of the callers pledged over $1000, which quickly raised the figure from the $29,000 raised in the first hour. Host, Jeevan Robinson set an on-air target of $50,000 and this was met and surpassed during the broadcast. Robinson and other callers reiterated how they were amazed at the generosity and very proud to be Montserratians at such a time in the island’s own ongoing volcanic situation.
