I was born in a rural farming community in the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia. My community is representative of many other rural areas, which were once middle-class communities that thrived through agriculture, but eventually plunged into poverty, unemployment, violence, and crime when the focus turned to tourism. With over 80% of the island comprising farming communities, and those communities being the most impoverished, the gap between the rich and the poor is pronounced. These effects are felt even more so in households headed by single mothers.
The only chance that I had for survival was through the sacrifices of my parents and grandparents, who gave me the opportunity to attend the best schools on the island, unlike many of the other children who grew
up with me. When I entered high school, I realized the vast differences in lifestyles that existed in Saint Lucia. A child who came from a rural community was very different from a child coming from wealthier areas. In my village, going to collect bathing water when there was no water and tending to our parents’ farm was quite typical. This was a very different reality for children from wealthier communities.
I was always at the center of two worlds, one where I felt I was never enough, and another where I had more than others. With that in mind, I set out to prove that someone from my community could be successful, and that I could hold open the door for others to do the same.
The first step came in the form of joining the UN at 25. I joined as an intern in 2015. By the end of the year, I got a full-time post as a program assistant and continued to move up the ladder in various capacities. However, I felt a sense of disappointment as I was not directly contributing to the betterment of my country. This was when I realized that I am more of a grassroots person.
So, I decided to create Helen’s Daughters, a non-profit whose primary purpose is the economic upliftment of women. The organization teaches rural women sustainable farming techniques, introducing them to digital farming tools such as using Google Maps to determine the best areas to plant crops. It teaches them aspects of business development and has created support networks with professionals in the fields of food retail, law, finance, and tourism. We have even partnered with rural women farmers and engineering students at the University of British Columbia to address real-life agricultural problems with technical solutions.
My dream is to first transform the rural communities of Saint Lucia and make them key parts of sustainable and inclusive Caribbean economies that leave no one behind.
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