The Laborie We Want: coping with a global crisis and shaping our future
In 2019, the Laborie Development Foundation conducted a review of the strategic plan that was produced in 2011, and formulated a new vision statement entitled The Laborie We Want. The release of this statement online and on social media earlier this year coincided with the onslaught of the global health crisis.
Laborians and friends of Laborie – wherever they are in the world – are invited to assist this community in coping with the impact of the crisis and to help shape Laborie’s future.
We invite feedback on The Laborie We Want by:
- Making comments on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ilovelaborie/.
- Sending comments, ideas and recommendations by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
We also call on Laborians and friends of Laborie to assist in the short-term recovery process by making donations towards the Laborie COVID-response Fund.
This Fund:
- has been created by the Laborie Development Foundation;
- is being managed, free of charge, by the Laborie Cooperative Credit Union;
- will remain active until 30 September 2020 in the first instance.
Donations to the Fund are being allocated as follows:
- 50% of all receipts is being transferred to the Laborie Medical Assistance Fund, which was created in 2005 to support people who need financial help to access diagnosis and treatment.
- The balance is allocated to the provision of food and other essential items to vulnerable households, including those that have lost all income as a result of the pandemic, working closely with the local Conference of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, the Social Transformation Officer and the Welfare Officer responsible for Laborie and environs.
Donations can be made:
- By transfers or deposits to account # 00010568 at the Laborie Cooperative Credit Union.
- By certified foreign bank cheque payable to Laborie Development Foundation.
For donations by international wire transfers or PayPal, please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we will provide details.
All donations will be acknowledged and donors’ names will appear on www.ilovelaborie.com (unless they request to remain anonymous).
In advance, a BIG thank you for your contribution, however small or big.
April 2020
A community coping with the COVID crisis while shaping a better future
Working Together for a Co-ordinated Response
On 25 March 2020, the Laborie Development Foundation established a virtual platform to facilitate a community co-ordinated response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The platform brings together community institutions, government officers and local resource people to share information and develop a common strategy to respond to the crisis. This platform allows Laborians to remain actively involved in activities and to make the community aware of the initiatives being taken. The District Representative is a part of this coordination mechanism. He contributes information and recommendations but is not involved in the actual implementation of activities nor with relevant agencies’ work on the ground.
COVID 19 EMERGENCY
Laborians, protect yourselves and protect others!
Remember: Stay home – unless you are an essential service worker - and avoid all non-essential economic and social activities from Monday 23rd March to Sunday 5th April.
Going with friends to the beach, visiting neighbours for a chat or hanging out together to listen to music are not essential activities.
COVID 19 hotline: 311.
For more information on the coronavirus disease (COVID 19), call the Bureau of Health Education at 468-5349, 468-5349 or 468-5350 or visit the Saint Lucia Ministry of Health on Facebook or www.health.govt.lc
If you are experiencing respiratory symptoms, call the Vieux-Fort Respiratory Clinic at 454-6337
Other useful numbers: Vieux-Fort Fire Service – 455-6151 and Laborie Police Station – 456-3645
And remember to:
- Avoid contact with someone who is displaying symptoms of coronavirus, such as high temperature and/or a new and continuous cough
- Avoid all non-essential use of public transport when possible
- Work from home, where possible
- Avoid large and small gatherings in public spaces
- Avoid gatherings with friends and family. Keep in touch using remote technology, such as the phone, internet, and social media
- Use the telephone to contact your doctor or other essential services – do not visit them without a prior confirmed appointment
- If you are sick, call a health care provider before going to the hospital for advice on what you should do and if you should leave home
Also remember to:
- wash your hands often with soap and running water for at least 20 seconds - or use a hand sanitiser - when you get home or go into work, when you blow your nose, sneeze or cough, when you eat or handle food, before and after holding young children
- avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands
- avoid close contact with people, especially those who already have symptoms
- cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in a lined bin and wash your hands
- regularly clean and disinfect frequently-touched objects and surfaces in the home
- stock an adequate supply of drinking water, canned and other non-perishable foods, and gas - in a responsible manner, so that others can also do the same
- stock cleaning supplies, including bleach and paper towels
- prepare a first aid kit & stock at least a month’s supply of medication for family members with chronic diseases
- stay safe: when in doubt, ask for advice from one of the professionals listed above and not from a family member, friend or neighbour
- in unexpected situations, do not panic and use your common sense
Non-essential businesses have been asked to close. Queries or concerns about services that have been scaled down or suspended should be directed to the National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO) office at phone (758) 452-3802 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Laborie Development Foundation
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Laborie Steel Pan Pays Tribute to Wilrock
Laborie Steel Pan gathered at a popular local restaurant on Saturday 8 June to celebrate its achievements and the friendship that binds its members, to recognise the contribution of each individual player to the growth and success of the band, and to pay tribute to Wilrock Ltd., the company that sponsored them consistently and generously over the past ten years.
In presenting an award and a gift to the company representative, Mr Gilbert Wilson, Laborie Steel Pan player Jainashel Gabriel thanked Wilrock for the support it provided to the band, allowing it to grow “from a small group of young children discovering steel pan to a recognised community institution with a diverse range of activities”. In presenting a photograph of the band to Mr Wilson, Ms Gabriel noted that the band is strong because it was “built on a solid Wilrock Foundation”.
Indeed, “we are more than a steel band,” said arranger and musical director Andrius Edwide in a short address to the group, “we provide quality music education to our members; we constantly enrol new, young members; we host international music workshops; we actively participate in community events; we provide welfare support to members in need; and we help all our players to become responsible and self-confident members of their community and society.”
As a family-owned business rooted in the Laborie community, Wilrock Ltd has supported the steel band over the years precisely because it saw the positive impacts the band has on its members, allowing them to discover and nurture their artistic talent, giving young people the opportunity to engage in a meaningful activity, demonstrating the value of team work and perseverance, and building a vibrant community institution.
Laborie: A Resilient Community For Everyone
The Laborie Development Foundation has secured funding from the Saint Lucia National Conservation Fund to implement a project that includes four activities that will guide the development of Laborie in the medium and long terms:
1. The preparation of a new strategic development plan, taking into account lessons learned from the implementation of the strategic plan prepared in 2001
2. The drafting of a management plan for the Rudy John Beach Park, based on the recommendations already formulated in community consultations
3. The preparation of an integrated management plan for Laborie Village Watershed and Coastal Zone, based on the guidelines already formulated
4. The development of Terms of Reference for a study of the Laborie Bay that would identify the measures and actions needed to combat coastal erosion and reduce the vulnerability to sea level rise, storms and other extreme climate events
The Foundation is currently inviting expressions of interest from qualified firms or individual consultants to provide services for one or more of these consultancies.
People interested should send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to request a copy of the terms of reference.
The deadline for the submission of expressions of interest is Friday 5 April 2019.
Laborie Hosts International Music Workshop
Andy Narell directs workshop participants
Professional and amateur musicians as well as music students from the USA, Australia and France have converged on Laborie for the third edition of the annual Laborie Steel Pan and Brasilian Percussion Workshop. Hosted by Labowi Promotions and the Laborie Steel Pan, this 10-day experience offers participants steel band and Brasilian percussion rehearsals, as well as master classes that cover a range of topics such as the history of steel band music, arranging, and improvising.
The co-directors of the workshop are world-renowned pan player and composer Andy Narell, and Jason Koontz, director of percussion at Eastern Kentucky University in the US. Andy Narell has been a part-time resident of Laborie over the past eight years, and has been working with the Laborie Steel Pan, broadening their repertoire, sharpening the skills of the players, and giving them a deeper understanding of and appreciation for the steel pan and pan music.
During their stay in Saint Lucia, workshop participants learn and play music, but they also have the opportunity to meet residents, taste local cuisine, enjoy beaches, explore historic sites and go hiking. For Labowi Promotions and the Laborie Development Foundation, this workshop is one of the ways to encourage community-based tourism, and to attract people who appreciate local culture, and who have artistic skills and experience to share.