HEAL is community-based initiative termed “Health, Education and Agriculture with Love” (HEAL) Programme, centered on targeted development of the communities of Delices, Boetica and La Plaine, part of a larger nine-pillar strategy, formulated inclusively for collective implementation and action. The theme “Our Development, Our Strategy, Our Responsibility” speaks to this ownership and self-driven action for change.
These nine Pillars are:
- Agricultural Development
- Sports Development
- Business Development and Entrepreneurship (Small Business, Entrepreneurship and Tourism)
- Community Image, Social Responsibility, Participation and Volunteerism
- Constituency Health, Wellness and Safe Environments
- The Elderly, Children and Youth
- Education for all
- Housing and Resilient Infrastructure
- Resource Mobilization (including Diaspora human resource)
HEAL Programme falls under the Agricultural Development Pillar and has a number of key interventions, namely:
- A Backyard Garden Initiative – where ALL households are encouraged to grow their own food (mainly vegetables)
- A ‘Tree that Feed’ Initiative – where every home should plant at least one fruit tree
- Adopting the School Feeding Initiative – to provide locally grown food on our children’s lunch and snack plates
- A Model School Garden Initiative – to nurture future food growers with introduction of to various innovative methods;
- Providing Recognition for Our Farmers Initiative (AG-Profit) – to recognize the work of our farmers over the years in community food production and agro-processing;
- ‘Gifts of Love’ Initiative by our Southeast studentsto the House of Hope and The Dominica Cancer Society.
In all of this, the greatest highlights are our children and the examples they can be! Also, given the social challenges we face in our communities, HEAL may have further positive results.
