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The Mustique Charitable Foundation is dedicated to helping
those who are in need in St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Rebuilding Lives Through Skills: MCF’s Grenadines Empowerment Project (GEMS) Delivers Lasting Impact

In the wake of the devastating impact of Hurricane Beryl, the Mustique Charitable Foundation (MCF) responded with more than immediate relief—we invested in long-term recovery by empowering Vincentians with practical, employable skills.

Through the Ministry of Education’s Grenadines Empowerment Project (GEMS), MCF funded vocational training programmes designed to help individuals and communities rebuild their lives while strengthening their economic resilience. The project provided opportunities for affected residents to develop skills that support both employment and entrepreneurship, ensuring that recovery would extend far beyond reconstruction.

A total of 82 individuals enrolled in the programme, with 69 participants successfully completing their training, representing an impressive 84% completion rate despite the many challenges families continued to face in the aftermath of the hurricane.
Training was delivered across multiple locations in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and covered areas critical to community recovery and sustainable livelihoods, including:

  • Carpentry (Bequia and Union Island)
  • Plumbing
  • Electrical Installation
  • Motor Vehicle Repairs
  • Agro-Food Processing
  • Fish Processing and Handling

These programmes equipped participants with practical skills to support rebuilding efforts, improve food security, strengthen local industries, and create new income-generating opportunities.

The impact of the project has already been evident. Several graduates have launched their own small businesses in agro-processing and fish processing, producing value-added products for local markets and community events. Others have secured employment in trades such as plumbing, electrical installation, and automotive repair, while some have continued their education through further technical training. In Union Island, participants in the carpentry programme even collaborated to construct a storage facility using the skills they acquired during the course—demonstrating the immediate value of the training to their community.

The Mustique Charitable Foundation extends its sincere gratitude to our donors whose generosity made this initiative possible. Your support has enabled individuals not only to recover from the effects of Hurricane Beryl but also to build brighter, more sustainable futures for themselves, their families, and their communities.