Bequia Group Awarded $50,000 to Expand Mental Health Support Across the Grenadines

By S.Browne. Updated 7:15 p.m., Thursday, September 25, 2025, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).

The Hub Collective Inc., a Bequia-based organisation, has been awarded CAD $50,000 from the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI) to expand mental health support across the Grenadines.

The grant will support the implementation of the project “Healing Together: Building Gender-Responsive, Trauma-Informed Mental Health Systems and Awareness Post-Hurricane Beryl through Psychosocial Support, Community Resilience, and a National Campaign in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.” The project aims to build gender-responsive, trauma-informed mental health systems and raise awareness post-Hurricane Beryl.

The seven-month initiative will roll out across Union Island, Mayreau, Canouan, and Bequia, strengthening psychosocial support in the communities hardest hit by the hurricane. Workshops and programming will begin in Union Island and Mayreau in October 2025, continue in Canouan in December, and conclude in Bequia in January 2026.

Activities include Psychological First Aid (PFA) training, up to 80 one-on-one therapy sessions (both in-person and virtual), somatic and nature-based workshops, and a national awareness campaign designed to reduce stigma and normalise mental health care.

“Healing Together is about building resilience and equity from the ground up,” said Jessica Jaja, Joint Project Manager of Healing Together. “As a grassroots organisation based in Bequia, we began expanding our support to the Southern Grenadines in early 2025. This grant now enables us to deepen that work by providing continuity to community members on each island while also strengthening linkages with mental health professionals nationally and across the diaspora.”

The Hub Collective noted that the project was initially launched following Hurricane Beryl, which displaced families, destroyed homes, and inflicted long-term trauma. “While the physical damage was widely documented, survivors across Union Island, Mayreau, Canouan, and Bequia also faced profound psychological impacts, including grief, anxiety, and post-disaster stress, worsened by limited access to mental health services,” the organisation stated.

In response to the lack of mental health services, The Hub Collective partnered with MindTHRIVE Co., a trauma-informed mental health and wellness organisation supported by Sol Relief, to launch a pilot version of Healing Together in mid-2025. “The pilot saw high community turnout and strong demand for counselling across the Grenadines, a vastly underserved demographic. Feedback from participants underscored the urgent need for safe spaces, trained facilitators, and accessible follow-up support. These findings shaped the expanded programme now being launched with CFLI funding,” the organisation added.

The expanded programme aims to provide immediate psychosocial support while also establishing sustainable, community-led systems of care. A monthly national column and online awareness series will further elevate the conversation, tackling stigma, promoting wellness, and positioning mental health as a core element of disaster preparedness and recovery.

“The Canada Fund for Local Initiatives is proud to partner with The Hub Collective on this vital project,” said Stephanie Sprott, Political Counsellor for the High Commission of Canada to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean and CFLI Fund Manager. She added: “This initiative is a powerful example of how locally led solutions can build resilience and promote healing in the face of climate catastrophe. By expanding access to trauma-informed mental health services and reducing stigma, we are not just helping communities recover — we are empowering them to thrive. This project directly reflects Canada’s commitment to advancing mental health support and gender equality in the Eastern Caribbean.”

This information was sourced from a press release sent to us by The Hub Collective.