MARIGOT--The Collectivité has granted financial aid to St. Martin students who are currently studying abroad, either in France or elsewhere in the Caribbean, and facing hardships during the COVID-19 crisis. Many are without jobs or deprived of help from their families who are struggling to make ends meet.
This help is provided within the context of the Solidarity Pact and is made possible from European Social Funds (ESF). A total of 402 eligible students will receive a lump sum of 500 euros, for a total pay-out of 201,000 euros contributed by ESF and in part by the Collectivité. The Treasury Department has been asked to execute these payments rapidly.
Students who are in difficulty and need assistance can complete the application form that is available on the Collectivité’s Facebook page and submit it online by May 8.
A second scheme supported by ESF will make it possible to pay this aid to 41 students who for various reasons have not been able to obtain a scholarship for the current academic year. Finally, the Collectivité is planning a third scheme aimed at granting aid to 10 or more students outside the framework who have already been identified by the services of Maison de St. Martin in Paris.
These financial aid measures will be put to the vote at the next Executive Council meeting to allow these students in difficulty to receive the funds quickly.
With regard to the Solidarity Pact relating to helping the vulnerable, elderly and handicapped with meals and food parcels, the distribution has increased since March 30.
Some 80 meals were prepared by Caisse Territorial des Oeuvres Scolaires (CTOS) this week, and the Red Cross distributed 185 food parcels to elderly and handicapped persons. Associations Cobraced and Sandy Ground on the Move continue to deliver groceries to 10 families every week. An additional 97 food parcels were provided by the Collectivité with the assistance of the Red Cross to persons in vulnerable situations.
