WATTS OF LOVE

Following our initial work with NGO Watts on Water (an incubator project of Watts of Love) we were asked to fly to St Vincent with charity representative Brooks Watson to capture some video footage of life in the aftermath of the volcanic eruption. The plan was to take 100 solar lights to the island and give them to people who are still living with no power after the ash fall from the volcano shorted out the electrical grid.

FEET ON THE GROUND

With a lot of work still to complete on our boat, it was decided that Iain would stay behind to install our solar panels and freezer plates while I, Brioni, took on the journey to St Vincent. Brooks would take responsibility for building networks with other organisations on the ground and distributing the lights and I would be videographer, capturing footage to be used in a fundraising campaign that would fund another 400 lights for delivery by boat later on.

Brooks and I flew from St Maarten to St Vincent and had to quarantine over the weekend. After two days, Brooks was then allowed to meet with our local contacts who provided limitless insight and knowledge about where the areas of the greatest need were. Unfortunately, my freedom was not granted as quickly and I had to wait for further confirmation from the government to be allowed outside.

IN THE RED ZONE

Finally, we found ourselves in a car, driving North into the Red Zone (the area that had been evacuated when the volcano erupted). We had been introduced to Basil, a man who lived in the Red Zone and was willing to cross the police checkpoint back into the area that he called home. It was an emotional trip, and overwhelming at times. Basil took us to his home, which thankfully was still standing. He showed us where his garage once stood, where he worked as a mechanic. Its tin roof lay twisted and broken under our feet, buried within a thick layer of heavy ash. Two cars lay half buried nearby, now his responsibility to fix, clean and eventually return to his customers. We had a tour of his gardens and all his fruit trees – we even tasted wax apples for the first time (after a good wash to clean the layer of grey ash from the skin) and heard story after story of his neighbours who had lost property and livestock.

We drove up the Windward Coast (East Coast) to the northern-most village, Sandy Bay. Along the way, Basil would stop the car and introduce us to people who had chosen to stay behind when the evacuation order came. Young men, old men, and some families had stayed behind to take care of their property or their animals.

THE DAY THE VOLCANO ERUPTED

We heard recollections of the day the volcano started erupting, how the sun rose but the sky stayed dark under a blanket of thick, heavy ash. How the electricity grid went offline that night, and still hasn’t come back a month later. How the next day the water supply was contaminated and drinking water became sparse. One man even showed us the broken pipe that is still dripping, that fills one small bucket per day, which provides him with just enough water to drink.

We met people who had only left their homes in order to walk to the next village to help others as they tried to clear the ash from their roof before it collapsed. Others who had returned home to find all their livestock had gone. Still more who were relying on family members delivering food to them as supply lines had been interrupted.

THE NEED FOR LIGHT

The stories we heard from everyone we met were inspiring – messages of community and generosity and hope. But one thing everyone had in common was that the night was dark. When the sun sets, and there’s no electricity, there’s no light in Sandy Bay. Some people have torches, but the batteries went flat weeks ago and there’s no way to charge them. Some people had candles but they burned out in a matter of days. Others have made kerosene lamps but they are worried about the risks of burning such a dangerous fuel.

And so what a privilege we had, to pass on the solar lights that people had donated. Eyes lit up as we explained how the lights worked – that on their lowest setting they would run for 5 days on a single charge. Smiles grew as people tried out the head strap to use the light as a head torch. And we were blown away when we inevitably ran out of lights, but as we tried to give the last one to a man the village had voted as most in need, he asked us to give it to someone else.

VINCY GENEROSITY

What a week! I saw more devastation than I have ever seen before – houses and cars buried, roads blocked, animals starving. And yet that is so often the place where generosity abounds and creativity flourishes. I am so thankful to have been given this opportunity to meet the wonderful residents of north St Vincent, and I cannot wait to sail south and see them again.

Watts of Love has since sent 100 more lights to our friends on St Vincent and we are hoping that with our campaign footage, more people will donate to fund more lights that are so desperately needed as people continue to live without power in Sandy Bay. To follow further updates from Watts of Love, you can follow them on Instagram