PHILIPSBURG (DCOMM):---  The Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labor (Ministry VSA) Public Health Department, Collective Prevention Services (CPS) executive agencies, in conjunction with Social & Health Insurances (SZV), and other relevant stakeholders, started the STEPS Survey SXM 2023, a national population health survey to assess risk factors for noncommunicable diseases.
CPS is reminding households to cooperate with surveyors when they pass by to conduct the national health survey.
3,500 households will be randomly selected and surveyed. House-to-house interviews and health screenings will be conducted among selected adults between the ages of 18-69 years.
The aim is to collect data on behavioral and biological factors that can increase the risk of noncommunicable diseases like hypertension, diabetes, heart attacks, and cancer.
This survey is conducted with the support from Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/World Health Organization (WHO). This survey is also being conducted in various countries in the Caribbean Region.
The survey commenced in July 2023 and is scheduled to conclude at the end of October 2023.

On Tuesday, the 19th of September, the police received a report about a baby who showed no signs of life at a childcare center on St. Eustatius. The ambulance arrived on the scene and started resuscitation but to no avail. It concerned a girl of a few months old. The case is under investigation. Infant dies
On Tuesday, the 19th of September, the police received a report about a baby who showed no signs of life at a childcare center on St. Eustatius. The ambulance arrived on the scene and started resuscitation but to no avail. It concerned a girl of a few months old. The case is under investigation.

KPCN Press Release.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Sint Maarten Library is excited to share the rescheduling of our “Read to Me” Dutch is Fun Puppet show for Saturday, September 30, 2023, at the Sint Martin University, from 6 pm to 7 pm.
Peggy Nibte, a performer and a great storyteller, will serve as the puppeteer for the Dutch Is Fun Puppet Show.
Ms. Nibte was born in Paramaribo, Suriname, into a family of seven. She is the youngest of four girls and three boys. Her mother worked as a teacher, while her father served as a police officer. All of her brothers pursued careers in law enforcement, and her sisters all became lawyers.
Peggy Nibte became a teacher not by choice. However, she has dedicated over 29 years to the teaching profession and has been teaching at Sint Maarten since 2010. Her teaching journey has taken her from Marie Laurence to St. Dominic, Asha Stevens Hillside Christian Campus, and now the Helmich Snijder Campus. Peggy Nibte is also the proud mother of two children, a son and a daughter.
The Dutch is Fun Puppet Show is a component of the Babies and Toddlers campaign for 2023, and it is also a part of the international celebration for “September Literacy Month”.
Puppet shows are considered beneficial for early development due to their numerous cognitive, emotional, and social benefits for young children. All children aged 2 to 8 and their parents are invited at the University of Sint Maarten to come out and not only enjoy a fun experience but also get excellent moral values from the story. Peggy Nibte via her storytelling session will guide the youngsters who will learn to apply positive attitudes reflected by the story and use them for their identity.
We also encourage you to bring a thick blanket with you for this outdoor activity. You can sit in the garden and the “Dutch is Fun” Puppet Show – “Enormuis / Enormouse”
The puppet show is based on the story written by Angie Morgan “Enormouse”. The Story will be presented in both languages of instruction in Sint Maarten. It is a charming and reassuring tale about friendship, staying true to oneself, and discovering where you truly belong- even if you may appear a bit different.
In a world filled with ever-evolving challenges and the constant pursuit of personal growth, “Enormouse” was selected to provide children with the tools they need to self-reflect, strengthen their self-esteem, celebrate their differences, and encourage their unwavering confidence. This empowering title is not just a story, but also a transformative guide on a journey towards self-discovery and empowerment.

In addition, part of the Dutch is Fun Puppet Show on Saturday, September 30, 2023, includes free face painting by Bernica Michel and Charlotte Brookson after the show. Snacks and drinks are available for purchase from Unicorn Flavored Popcorn Treats & More.
The University of Sint Maarten and Trucks Pro N.V. are the sponsors of this event.

MIAMI FL:--- Governments, organizations, and companies within the region have increased their pursuit of financing for sustainable and climate resilient infrastructure, according to Adam Carter, Managing Director and Head of Investment Banking, Foreign Exchange and Derivatives, CIBC FirstCaribbean, who explained the increased demand is within the hundreds of millions.
Speaking as a panelist at the 7th Annual Caribbean Infrastructure Forum (CARIF), Carter said the increase is driven by Caribbean countries need to become better prepared to mitigate climate disasters.
“We’re seeing an increase in governments, particularly, looking to access Blue financing, and we’ve seen a massive increase in renewable energy applications, resilient project applications, utilities looking to be more resilient, hospitals looking to do upgrades, roads, cruise ports, just across the board we’re seeing the increase,” Carter said.
“It’s certainly in the hundreds of millions over the last few years where sustainable was not the theme. Resilience was always a theme in the Caribbean. But now we’re seeing resiliency fit under sustainability, which I think is more fitting. So, under that umbrella or title, we’re seeing a markable increase in appetite for projects that fit those criteria. We’re in a hurricane impacted region so this includes designing for category three, four or five is now the thing where you kind of have no other choice but to.”
Carter explained that funding for such projects, at a time where the world’s focus is now on supporting measures that protect the environment and address climate change, is available.
“The funding is generally there,” he said. “Financing is absolutely available. It’s prudent to get the right projects in place with the right parameters and frameworks. Once those are established and you’ve got the political and community buy-in, lenders and financial institutions are ready to go.”
Therese Turner-Jones, Caribbean Development Bank’s (CDB) Director of Projects said though the demand for funding exceeds the supply of capital for all of the countries with those needs, there are partners that include the World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
However, she added there is a need for more countries to get a better grasp of their exact needs.
“First of all, I think there’s a bit of a deficit in countries recognizing what they need,” Turner-Jones explained. “Because of how fast the external environment is changing, not just in terms of availability of finance, but also climate change and how the world is changing we can’t expect that our member countries are always up to date. But this is why we’re here. To provide those advisory services to help them do the technical work. This is not to say that the capacity doesn’t exist in-country, but to say that multi-lateral banks are in a better position to offer that advice. So, what I say to clients is to come to the MDBs first.”
Turner-Jones continued, “Explore the options with CDB, the IDC, the World Bank first. Because firstly, that money is cheaper and it always comes with technical assistance. They just need to ask. I would say that because we’re at such a critical juncture in terms of the needs of the region, we need to now think about what resilience means. You heard about renewable energy projects being important, roads and whether they’d be able to sustain a significant amount of rainfall, hurricanes, etc. So, there’s a lot of new information out in the infrastructure domain that the Multilateral development Banks (MDB) have at their fingertips, that the countries may not have. It’s best to work with us [MDBs].”
This year’s CARIF conference gathered some of the region’s leaders in policy, finance, infrastructural development for two days of solution-building and networking. Government ministers and industry leaders from both the public and private sectors were panelists covering a wide range of topics, centered around infrastructural development to meet the region’s needs.
CARIF 2023 is taking place at the Ritz-Carlton in Miami, Florida, September 18 -19, 2023 and is sponsored by CIBC FirstCaribbean and KPMG.