The government is establishing regional units under the HEART (Hope, Empathy, Aid, Resilience and Trust) Initiative to provide sustained, long-term support to families affected by the MV Barima tragedy.
This was confirmed by Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr Vindhya Persaud, when she appeared on the Starting Point podcast on Sunday.
President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali launched the HEART Initiative following the MV Barima sinking on July 18, which left 30 persons unaccounted for and saw 76 survivors rescued.
Dr Persaud explained that President Ali personally crafted the initiative’s terms of reference, after which her ministry built out the structure and assembled a dedicated team to keep the effort running consistently countrywide.
“We are still building it out, but we’ve started a process where every region will have a unit comprising a social worker, therapist, psychologist. We also have religious persons from different faiths,” the minister said.
In addition, there are personnel responsible for coordinating logistics such as travel and other immediate needs.
The initiative is structured around four components: a psychosocial arm, a spiritual and religious arm, a logistics arm operating through a central secretariat and a legal arm headed separately by the Attorney General, Mohabir Anil Nandlall, SC.
Minister Persaud, who oversees the psychosocial, spiritual and logistics components, noted that requests are reviewed daily to determine what each family needs.
Immediate support under the initiative has focused on incidentals, including food, transportation and other pressing costs, rather than compensation, which falls under the legal process led by the Attorney General.
For families who lost a sole breadwinner, Dr Persaud said the assessment considers what that breadwinner would have provided. At the same time, the Office of the First Lady directly manages support for children and their parents.
Dr Persaud stressed that the initiative reflects a long-term commitment rather than a short-term response, adding that the government continues to welcome support from the private sector and other partners as the units expand.
In the coming days, the ministry will also launch an online counselling platform to provide long-term support to the families.