St. George's, Grenada, January 15th, 2010: The Grenada government has announced a USD 100,000 contribution to assist Haiti in its recovery efforts in the aftermath of Tuesday’s devastating earthquake.

Prime Minister Hon. Tillman Thomas on Friday made the announcement just prior to his government’s presentation of the island’s 2010 budget.

“We meet at a time when a sister CARICOM country, Haiti, has experience one of the deadliest earthquakes in the hemisphere in over two hundred years. We are witnessing a global response to this major catastrophe, and it is important that we express our solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Haiti,” the Prime Minister told his colleagues.

He noted that the suffering of the Haitian people “deeply resonates” with Grenadians, who had their own experience with Hurricane Ivan in 2004 when 90% of the island’s housing stock was damaged or destroyed. The Prime Minister noted that Grenada benefited from the “overwhelming generosity and support of all our CARICOM neighbors and indeed the broader global community.”

He said despite Grenada’s financial challenges, his government will “immediately donate” USD 100,000 in Cash and his government stands ready to provide trained personnel to help in critical areas, if and when requested.

In support of a national effort, the Grenadian leader also announced a mediathon on local television and radio on Monday evening during which Grenadians have been encouraged to make a monetary pledge to support the people of Haiti.

The Prime Minister has encouraged all local media to participate in the media-thon.