K1 Britannia volunteers putting food packages together.
Volunteers unloading hygiene products, in preparation for distribution.PHILIPSBURG--K1 DIRECT (Disaster Relief & Crisis Team) – officially established one year after Hurricane Irma – is one of the major non-governmental organisations (NGOs) making sure that those in need are not going without during the isolation (and for many, the economic standstill) caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The team under the K1 Britannia Foundation, is assisting government in emergency logistics and collaborated distribution across Dutch St. Maarten. This includes data management, warehouse management, coordination of logistics, packaging and distribution. The team is also working in close collaboration with the Red Cross, as well as other organisations, and has its own food distribution programme made possible entirely through sponsors.
The foundation formalised K1 DIRECT specifically to deal with these types of coordinated tasks in emergency situations, although by then the team had already gained emergency-relief experience in St. Maarten following Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017, as well as in Dominica following the direct hit from Hurricane Maria. The team was also dispatched to the Bahamas following Hurricane Dorian in 2019.
While the efforts needed are similar to those after hurricanes, the current “invisible” pandemic also presents a different working environment. “There is no destruction and loss of property this time, so people are responding differently. There is some stress, but not in the same amount as after Irma,” K1 DIRECT co-manager Alan Schet told The Daily Herald in an invited comment.
“Now, it is about waiting for things to get better because of the economy. People are a bit more hopeful, although maybe not when thinking of the long term.” Pointing out the silver lining, Schet mentioned that while K1 generally has a large volunteer pool, some volunteers are more available and gaining experience which can be of assistance in future crises.
Working with 30 to 40 consistent volunteers, well over 2,000 food and hygiene packages have been distributed across St. Maarten through K1 DIRECT. These have been provided by government, as well as the Red Cross and K1’s sponsors – especially CC1 St. Maarten, Expert Roof and Colosseum SXM BV.
Besides distribution, the team is also handling data management based on information being collected by government. This is shared with other NGOs such as Freegan Food Foundation as well as Domino’s Pizza, which offers delivery. The data management system streamlines the process and helps to prevent unnecessary overlap, and the system (or one very similar to it) can be used for future emergency situations such as hurricanes.
K1 Britannia Foundation was founded as a maritime foundation but has grown to encompass a variety of charitable projects with a strong focus on the evolving social issues faced by youth in St. Maarten. Its main pillars are disaster relief, foster care, second chance programmes and volunteerism.
The foundation depends on the financial support of sponsors to continue in its relief efforts. Companies and individuals interested in supporting K1 Britannia Foundation can reach out via Facebook messenger at
www.facebook.com/k1sxm or donate via
www.k1britanniafoundation.org.
