SOUTH REWARD, Sint Maarten - Rotary International is dedicated to ending polio from this world. Rotary members wordwide have perservered in this fight since 1979 and have helped eradicate polio in all but three countries wordwide.

Interact club of St. Dominic has recently joined in this fight and has raised funds for polio via the world's greatest meal to end polio

(For more information on how you can help Rotary to fight against Polio please email us at  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

NEW YORK, SINT MAARTEN - St. Maarten Prime Minister the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams’ attendance at Caribbean Week meetings and events in New York last week was a resounding highlight for other attendees, ministers and directors of tourism from other nations and journalists from across the North American region.  Her presence and her statements reaffirmed St. Maarten’s commitment to collaborating with the other nations of the Caribbean region on tourism and social issues.

The Prime Minister highlighted the region’s common goals as it relates to tourism and its potential to be a driver for regional cooperation: “Tourism is a strong thread of the blanket that stretches across the Caribbean and tourism is becoming more and more of a social development tool,” the Prime Minister told reporters at a special briefing.

The PM also attended special sessions, ministerial meetings, awards ceremonies for travel writers and the annual Media Marketplace in which more than 130 journalists from around the world gathered to meet with Caribbean tourism officials and hoteliers. 

Caribbean Week in New York is an annual weeklong series of meetings and events, both public and private, in which the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) conducts its business discussing internal regional issues as well as promoting the region to the public in the Caribbean’s number one source market.

During the special media briefing called “View from the Top” and arranged by CTO for Prime Minister Wescot-Williams, The PM was able to meet with a select group of reporters to talk about St. Maarten’s tourism outlook as well as reaffirm her strong belief in collaboration with other Caribbean nations.

Attending the special “View from the Top” were reporters and editors from Travel + Leisure magazine, Bloomberg News, Travel Weekly, Caribbean Journal, Travel Agent Magazine, TravAlliance publications, The Washington Diplomat and Caribbean Media Corp.

“We should look at tourism as a tool for social development in St. Maarten and across the Caribbean.  Economic issues have forced us to look at ways and means of getting together and we are working collaboratively with our other Caribbean nations to mitigate the effects of climate change as well as social issues of unemployment, crime and health,” stated Wescot-Williams during the press conference. The PM, in answering a series of questions from a variety of the reporters present, stated that:  “If we in St. Maarten want to remain on the cutting edge in the global tourism arena we have to invest in our infrastructure.

“We also need to be more than a seasonal destination and expand on our green initiatives. We need to look at the reasons for the seasonality and make St. Maarten a year-round destination by finding new source markets.”

Prime Minister Wescot-Williams also noted that St. Maarten has approved a new energy policy to incorporate green initiatives.

The Prime Minister went on to say: “We need to continuously explore what the cruise passengers are looking for when they visit St. Maarten on their brief stops and explore how we can entice them to come back as stayover visitors.

“Air lift remains an issue for St. Maarten and the entire Caribbean and is always a topic on the agenda for all the islands.”

Wescot-Williams concluded by stating that the larger percentage of Caribbean countries depend on tourism and “we need to be able to show our people how tourism can help with unemployment and assist with other areas of social development.  We need to show our residents the link between tourism and a better economic and social life. Tourism cannot be seen as a silo, but must be seen as one of the main economic drivers for most of the Caribbean nations.”

Over the several days in New York, Prime Minister Wescot-Williams participated in several other interviews with reporters and local television and online networks. (From the Cabinet of the Prime Minister)

GREAT BAY/MARIGOT, St. Martin - All Children, ages four to 12, are invited to “In The Children’s Room” at the 12^th annual St. Martin Book Fair, Saturday, June 7, from 9 AM to 1 PM, University of St. Martin, Room 101, said Jacqueline Sample, president of House of Nehesi Publishers (HNP).

Entrance to all workshops of the three-day book fair is free for everyone.     

Nzinga Lake is the coordinator of this year’s Children’s Room. “I’m asking parents and guardians who would like their child or children to be in the Children’s Room to bring their boys and girls dressed as the child’s favorite super hero,” said Lake.

The marketing graduate of St. Thomas University is well known for her creative and successful children and teen pageants; and fashion-oriented calendars showcasing aspiring models. Lake is also president of St. Maarten Small Properties Association and a Chamber of Commerce board member, said Sample.

Lake will be assisted by Riegnald Bakari Arrindell, costumed as Marvel Comics’ Black Panther. Arrindell is a St. Peters community organizer of children’s matinees and other family-oriented activities.

Over the years, the Children’s Room has including storytelling, games, and songs. Storytelling may be in various languages and popular storyteller Papa Umpo and other artists have been known to appear as “surprise” guest performers, said Sample.

The hair workshop also returns to book fair Saturday at USM, from 11 AM to 12:30 noon, said its coordinator Rochelle Ward (Faizah). “Partners in Crime: Going Natural & Staying Natural” is the name of the workshop that addresses “challenges and joys of caring for or returning to the natural beauty and vibrant health of your own hair. Workshop leader Dr. Erica Reid (Ewurama) will listen to your concerns, offer solutions, discuss, and demonstrate hair care techniques and products,” said Ward. Dr. Reid, is a hair products developer and author from Beautiful Earth Natural Salon & Spa in Jamaica.

Among the 13 workshops on Saturday is the media workshop, conducted by Ece Temelkuran. The award-winning journalist, media rights activist, and author from Turkey recently delivered the Freedom Lecture in Amsterdam. Temelkuran will discuss her real and frightening life experiences with “Crime&Punishment,” media resistance to intimidation from her country’s prime minister and military; the murder not long ago of one journalist and the jailing of two others in an attempt to silence the media, said book fair coordinator Shujah Reiph.

“Recognizing mental illnesses at home and in relationships” could never be a one-stop talk but a good workshop can provide expert, helpful ideas with Dr. Balin A. Durr, M.D. The child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist from Chicago will conduct the mental health workshop at USM on Saturday morning. She is also a poet and author. Dr. Durr uses a holistic/collaborative approach to mind-body wellness that incorporates nutrition and traditional and alternative medicine. Currently, she provides psychiatric care in Illinois via tele-psychiatry (seeing patients via camera and television), said Reiph.

“Writing French’ in St. Martin, Caribbean” is another Saturday workshop. It takes place at the Chamber of Commerce Building, Spring Concordia, Marigot, between 9 AM – 10:30 AM. Nicole Cage, educator, poet, author from Martinique will lead the workshop that looks at how “in multilingual St. Martin, where the traditional or historical nation language in English, writing poetry, drama, fiction (short stories, novels), and essays in French could be a daunting challenge,” said Sample. This workshop could be considered an immersion exercise where Cage “will help guide you with unique examples and tips toward achieving your goal of confidently writing creative material in French.” The workshop language is French. Cage is versed in English, Kwéyòl, and Spanish.

After bringing their kids to the Children’s Room mothers and fathers can have time for themselves at the “eBook for Better Parenting” workshop. Rodney Davis, a St. Martin social worker and parenting educator, will conduct the Saturday session at USM. He will look at how young and older parents can use new communication and media technologies for better parenting. This workshop draws on parenting expertise, lifecoach practices, and social research to connect parents, and parents-to-be, with effective uses of the new media in their daily parenting, said Davis.

Conscious Lyrics Foundation and HNP are the organizers of the 12^th edition of the St. Martin Book Fair, in collaboration with St. Maarten Tourist Bureau, University of St. Martin, LCF Foundation, and St. Martin Tourist Office. The SXM Airport and SOS Radio are sponsors of the St. Martin Book Fair 2014. For more Book Fair activities, see http://www.houseofnehesipublish.com/book_fair2040.html. The theme of the 2014festival is “Crime&Punishment.” 

GREAT BAY, Sint Maarten (DCOMM) – Head of the Civil Registry Department Leona Marlin-Romeo, said on Wednesday that the Front Office and The Back Office is undergoing two separate studies that are job related, namely the BOBZ (Basic Administration Studies on the Civil Registry) and MLOBZ (In-depth Studies on the Civil Registry).

Both courses are being given by Albert Schut and Ger Lutter two experts from Sensor Bestuur of the Netherlands. 

They are preparing the staff for the exams that were developed and will be given by the NVVB (The Netherlands Organization of Civil Registries).  These exams were custom made according to the laws of Sint Maarten, but are on the same level of that of what is taken in the Netherlands. 

Once successfully taken the staff of the Civil Registry Department will have a diploma that has value, this differs significantly from a certificate of attendance.  Having the staff take part in these studies has been one of the goals of the management of the department. 

The former Netherlands Antilles and as an extension Sint Maarten has always been at a disadvantage because the necessary tools for the staff of the Civil Registry were non-existent. 

The Civil Registry of Sint Maarten was faced with staff that lacked in-depth knowledge on the work/tasks and responsibilities of the Civil Registry and the qualifications to execute the tasks involved. 

This was quite a major disadvantage when comparing to the colleagues in the Netherlands who have the opportunities to take job related courses that will give them a diploma instead of a certificate.  

The Management of the Civil Registry department is proud to finally have this available and this was made possible through the funding of USONA.