LOCAL carpenters will soon be recruited by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and Habitat for Humanity (HFH) to help in the hurricane-ravaged Dominica to rebuild homes and other buildings.

In September 2017, Dominica was devastated by the Category Five Hurricane Maria which caused pervasive shelter damage and significant and extended displacement.
“We believe that we understand how our brothers and sisters feel and because of the skillset that exist in Guyana, we thought it was a good recruitment ground to get persons from here,” said HFH’s Project Coordinator Natasha Daniels, on the sideline of a sensitisation programme for local carpenters at the Grand Coastal Hotel Inn on Thursday.

According her, the HFH’s role in the project is to ensure persons who get selected are the right ones for the job, because they need leaders who will also help to train the Dominicans because there is a shortage of labour there.
Twenty-three persons, including two Guyanese and four Jamaicans, were selected from Trinidad and Tobago to assist.

Daniels said the batch from Guyana is expected to travel to Dominica soon since they are expected to complete the construction of about 270 roofs.
Assistant Chief Recruitment and Manpower Officer of the Ministry of Social Protection, Yolanda Grant, said Guyanese are also provided with the opportunity for networking.
IOM Regional Coordination Officer for the Caribbean, Robert Natiello, said they want to complete the reconstruction of the buildings in Dominica so that the citizens will be safe and protected before the hurricane season starts.

It was estimated that approximately 5, 425 houses were completely destroyed, 7, 515 highly damaged; 8, 390 moderately damaged and 7 ,940 lightly damaged.
It was also estimated that over 20,000 people left the country after the hurricane hit in search of employment abroad, and in an effort to find ways to rebuild or recover their losses. Those who left include most of the skilled carpenters.

“In crisis setting, IOM works closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners for the provision of support to countries in crisis and non-crisis, and in the provision of technical and development assistance,” said Natiello.

IOM is the lead agency of the Camp Coordination and Camp Management Cluster (CCCM). Through its global network of more than 4000 offices, it is able to bring together governments, civil society and the private sector to establish or respond to different requests for support.