After incurring substantial losses in a fire on April 9, business people in the Temple Yard, Bridgetown community are looking to have their operations up and running again soon.
This was made clear by Ras I-Live (Lawrence Austin), president of the newly-formed Foundation of Rastafari Willing and Ready to Dominate (FORWARD).
He said the community was raising funds to help the affected businesses and the hope was that the area would be urgently cleaned and electricity restored quickly.
“The clean-up is not completed,” he said, adding that the community was working with the public health inspectorate, the Sanitation Service Authority and the Ministry of Agriculture, under whose portfolio the handicraft and food facilities fell.
He pointed out that the Temple Yard community was seeking assistance rather than “a handout”.
“In terms of recognizing and reinventing ourselves, we have come up with a three-month programme of fund-raising activities,” he said.
According to the president, FORWARD saw the fire as a catalyst to recreate how business was done in the Rastafarian community.
“We have come to a level of maturity and are now prepared to operate in a more regulated way,” he said. “Despite the vibes, we are in the process of transforming.”
