The Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring ‘Resilience Cayman,’ an initiative established to help connect non-profits, entrepreneurs and businesses with tools, funds and volunteers to identify, assess, and meet community needs as they emerge during times of crisis.

The idea for the initiative has been under development for some time but was recently fast tracked to help address some of the most pressing community needs arising from the Covid-19 crisis, both in terms of public health and the impact on the economy.

“Resilience is the ability of a person and of a society to adapt to change and bounce back from adversity.  In this COVID-19 era, it will take each resident and organisation in the Cayman Islands (private and public sector) to step up and work with each other to solve our community’s most critical challenges of meeting everyone’s basic needs for food, shelter, healthcare and jobs.  We are volunteer-run and intend to work with all those who seek to support the rebuilding of a resilient Cayman”, Jan Gupta, organiser for Resilience Cayman said.

The initiative will launch with four key programs over the coming weeks, while others will be added as specific needs are identified:

Food Support- providing food bags/boxes and food vouchers to residents that do not qualify for other existing programs, and sponsoring daily meal services for those who have lost their income since March;

Financial Literacy- providing budgeting tools and financial counselling for those struggling withtheir bills;

Wellness Program- providing a 30-day supply of Vitamin C to front line workers to boost their immunity as they keep Cayman safe and healthy;

Farm Box – an online local farmer’s market, supporting local farms and increasing access to fresh produce for residents.

Seed funding is in place, and the Chamber of Commerce and Resilience Cayman are inviting additional donors to support their programs. Donations will be facilitated by the Chamber of Commerce through the Resilience Cayman website at www.resilience.ky.

“The measures initiated by the Government to support those in immediate need have been extremely helpful, but Government needs the support of the whole community in these unprecedented times. We have already seen many non-profit organisations and private sector firms stepping up and doing extraordinary things”, Woody Foster, Chamber President said.  “The goal of Resilience Cayman is to support those efforts and supplement them where necessary. The Chamber is happy to support this initiative and we encourage our members to visit the website, learn more, volunteer or donate if possible.”

“The Ministry of Community Affairs, who have responsibility and oversight for the Needs Assessment Unit, welcomes this private sector collaboration. Not only will this program help supplement the services already being provided to Caymanians and Residents alike, but will also lend itself to support our essential frontline workers who continue to provide vital services to our community”, Austin Harris, Councillor for the Ministry of Community Affairs said.

Requests for support, and to volunteer for any one of the four key programs can be made through the Resilience Cayman website at www.resilience.ky.

PROGRAMS

Businesses, farms and non-profit organisations that would like to partner with Resilience Cayman, or anyone interested in more information on the programs are invited to email [email protected].