Minister Rouvoet hands-on on Saba
Minister of Youth and Family Affairs, Mr. Andre Rouvoet arrived on Saba by private charter on Thursday. The following day Friday, the Minister paid a working visit and was hands-on with the facilities that are provided on Saba.
Commissioner of Youth Affairs, Chris Johnson, was very pleased with the Ministers visit. Johnson stated, that the talks between the Executive Council and the Minister were very open and extremely productive. The Commissioner addressed concerns that the people of the BES islands need to start seeing the results of all the deliberations in the past. People have heard for about the trajectory items such as legal issues. The timeline in 2009/2010 should present tangible results.
The Minister visited the Laura Linzey Daycare Center in The Bottom and was greeted by Director Margaret Childs. He was given a full tour of the facilities and was able to have some hands-on interaction with some of Saba’s youngest.
The delegation proceeded on an Island tour accompanied by Lt. Governor Johnson. Following the tour, the Minister was taken to the Sacred Heart Primary school and was given a tour of the premises as well as an explanation of Saba’s primary school system.
After this, he was invited to an open discussion with the board from Child Focus. Discussions surrounded in the meeting were based on "What areas could the ministry of youth and family help existing institutions?". The island hopes for assistance with upgrading of existing facilities.
The Minister concluded with a luncheon at Eden restaurant and made sure to invite members of the community who work in the fields of youth and family – which also included health care and the schools.
Rouvoet stated that he hasn’t been on Saba in five years and it was a pleasure to be in such a beautiful part of the Kingdom.
Source: Saba Government Information Services – gis@sabagov.com
Photo caption: (Back Row Left to Right) Chris Johnson, Andre Rouvoet, Margaret Childs, Jonathan Johnson together with children from Laura Linzey Daycare.