Carib Scope

标签： Saint Lucia

圣卢西亚

  • Organisers gear up for busy Carnival season

    Organisers gear up for busy Carnival season

    Fresh off the successful conclusion of the 2026 Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival, the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia has shifted its focus to one of its most anticipated annual cultural and entertainment spectacles: the 2026 edition of Lucian Carnival. Organized by the Carnival Planning and Management Committee (CPMC), the island’s premier celebration will unfold across June and early July, capping off with closing festivities on July 22, and a packed slate of activities is already underway to build excitement ahead of the main event. The schedule features everything from family-friendly Junior Carnival programming and national flagship competitions to a roster of private community and industry celebrations scattered across the island.

    One of the earliest key commitments to this year’s celebration came this Wednesday, when Heineken Saint Lucia – the local producer of the popular Piton Malta beverage – formalized its return sponsorship with an official cheque presentation, confirming it will once again back the 2026 Junior Carnival series. Tailored for young residents of the island, Junior Carnival will launch its 2026 programming this Friday, May 15, with the annual educational school tour, an initiative designed to introduce younger generations to the diverse cultural roots and modern traditions that define Lucian Carnival. The tour will make its first stop at the Gordon and Walcott Memorial School, located in the island’s capital city of Castries, before traveling to other campuses across Saint Lucia.

    Beyond preparations for youth-focused programming, the CPMC has also integrated community environmental stewardship into this year’s carnival lead-up. Last Thursday, the committee hosted a collaborative tree-planting activity at the Millet Bird Sanctuary alongside all delegates competing in the 2026 National Carnival Queen Pageant, tying the iconic cultural event to local conservation efforts.

    For musical artists across the region and the island, this week brought a major announcement: the CPMC has officially opened entries for the annual Groovy and Power Soca Competitions, one of the most high-profile segments of the Lucian Carnival lineup. Interested creators can submit their work through the official online entry form published by the committee. Updated competition rules for 2026 expand eligibility to both individual artists and group acts, though each participant or collective may only register, compete, and perform one track throughout all stages of the competition. The final deadline for all submissions is 10 p.m. local time on Thursday, May 28, 2026.

    Completing the preliminary carnival programming lineup, the beloved calypso segment of the celebration will launch its 2026 season next week, carrying forward a decades-long Lucian Carnival tradition. The first calypso tent opening will take place at South Calypso on Friday, May 22, with the KPT tent launching the following day on Saturday, May 23. Rounding out the opening slate, the Take Over Tent/Soca Village will kick off its 2026 schedule of events this Sunday, May 24.

  • WASCO steps up trucking, valving operations as drought continues

    WASCO steps up trucking, valving operations as drought continues

    One of the most intense prolonged dry periods in recorded history has pushed Saint Lucia’s public water system to a breaking point, forcing the national Water and Sewerage Company Inc. (WASCO) to maintain emergency water delivery and distribution protocols across the entire island to mitigate widespread shortages.

    In an official public update released Thursday, WASCO confirmed that months of dramatically below-average rainfall have pushed inflows at the country’s most critical water treatment facilities to dangerously low levels. Two major processing hubs, the Theobalds Water Treatment Plant — which serves populated communities stretching from Millet to Cap Estate — and the Hill 20 Water Treatment Facility, which supplies the Babonneau region, have both been hit particularly hard by the sustained drought conditions.

    The crisis is not isolated to northern and central parts of the island. Southern Saint Lucia’s water networks, which serve communities including Dennery, Beausejour, Patience, Soufrière and Choiseul, are also grappling with steep cuts to available supply. These reductions have forced lower production outputs across the board, adding unplanned strain to the island’s already overstretched distribution infrastructure.

    To address the immediate crisis, WASCO has ramped up emergency potable water trucking operations, prioritizing delivery to essential public services and the communities facing the most severe scarcity. The utility has also continued targeted community valving operations designed to create a more equitable distribution of remaining available water across all affected districts.

    Meteorological data confirms the severity of the dry spell that has gripped the island since June 2025. Speaking at a WASCO press briefing earlier this month, Director of Meteorological Services Vigil Saltibus explained that months of below-average rainfall have evolved into active developing drought conditions. The 2025 wet season finished with a 37% deficit in total rainfall compared to long-term averages, and the shortfall has carried over into the 2026 dry season with no meaningful relief.

    As of April 2026, accumulated rainfall between June 2025 and April 2026 ranks as the third driest such period on record, Saltibus confirmed. Dry, parched soils have absorbed any light scattered rainfall that has occurred, leaving almost no excess to replenish rivers, reservoirs and critical water catchment areas. This means natural water systems have had no opportunity to recover from months of depletion, keeping supply levels under constant pressure.

    Looking ahead, forecasts indicate that below-average rainfall will likely persist into the early stages of the 2026 hurricane season, a trend partially driven by a developing El Niño climate pattern. This extended dry forecast is expected to push demand for water even higher, worsening stress on already depleted reserves.

    Alongside emergency distribution efforts, WASCO has moved quickly to accelerate water quality testing across all affected distribution networks, working to uphold public safety standards even as inflows remain low. The utility is collaborating closely with the Water Resources Management Agency, the Ministry of Environmental Health, and both regional and international partners to ensure all water supplies remain fully compliant with World Health Organization safety protocols.

    In addition to short-term emergency response, WASCO highlighted long-term infrastructure projects aimed at boosting the water system’s resilience to future climate extremes. These include ongoing redevelopment works in the Patience region, designed to strengthen long-term supply reliability for the community.

    WASCO is urging all customers across the island to prioritize water conservation, store water supplies safely, and use existing reserves sparingly for the duration of the dry spell. The utility has also advised residents to monitor its official website and social media channels for the most up-to-date information on water trucking routes and valving schedule changes.

  • Saint Lucia students try out new flexible CXC exam system

    Saint Lucia students try out new flexible CXC exam system

    A landmark shift in secondary education assessment across the Caribbean is underway, as Saint Lucia hosted the inaugural sitting of the Caribbean Targeted Education Certificate (C-Tech) exams this week. The new modular assessment framework, which launched Tuesday, is designed to upend the traditional one-and-done testing model that has long defined the region’s Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) system.

    Unlike the standard CSEC structure, which requires students to sit exams for all required subjects in a single sitting to earn full certification, C-Tech enables learners to complete their syllabus in incremental, self-paced stages. Students work toward their full credential one module at a time, gradually building up to a full CSEC pass after successfully completing three separate modules.

    Patterson Abraham, Registrar of Examinations at the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), the body governing regional education assessments, explained that CXC selected mathematics as the subject for the very first C-Tech module. Mathematics has historically been one of the most challenging subjects for students across all Caribbean nations, with consistent low pass rates dragging down overall academic outcomes for thousands of learners annually.

    Drawing on decades of regional performance data, Abraham noted that the staggered modular model gives students far greater opportunity to earn incremental micro-credentials along their journey, even before they complete the full certification requirement. By breaking the large, comprehensive mathematics syllabus into smaller, more focused sections, the framework reduces the academic burden placed on learners. “The number of areas that they have to cover is less than the CSEC programme,” Abraham explained. “Students can focus on a few topics at a time, and to be able to do as well as they can on just one module, and then to build onto the next module.” This segmented approach makes the subject far more manageable, lowering the barrier to success for struggling learners.

    After completing site visits to multiple participating examination centers on the first day of testing, Abraham reported that the launch went far smoother than many observers expected. The first C-Tech exam used a modern hybrid format: paper one of the module was administered prior to Tuesday, and Tuesday’s sitting was for paper two, where students accessed test questions via digital devices and recorded their responses in traditional printed answer booklets. This blended digital-write-in structure marks a small but meaningful step toward modernizing assessment practices across the region.

    Abraham confirmed that no major logistical issues or security incidents were reported across any testing sites, with all operations running according to plan. “From my visits and from my communication with the centres that are doing C-Tech, everything seemed to be under control,” he said. Regional education officials are now optimistic that the full 2024 C-Tech exam sitting will conclude successfully, paving the way for a broader rollout across other Caribbean nations in coming years.

    Framing the new initiative as a transformative milestone for Caribbean secondary education, Abraham expressed confidence that the flexible modular framework will deliver tangible long-term benefits, boosting overall academic performance and opening up more education and career pathways for regional students.

  • Millet triumph in Meat Masters tapeball cricket

    Millet triumph in Meat Masters tapeball cricket

    The 2025 Meat Masters T20 Veterans Cricket Tournament served up a historic, edge-of-your-seat encounter on Tuesday, May 12, that rewrote the event’s record books. Two competing sides, Millet and Combined Veterans, combined to smash more than 500 runs across the fixture, a new tournament benchmark for total match scoring, played out at the Balata Playing Field where Millet claimed a dominant nine-wicket victory.

    It was Combined Veterans that stepped into bat first, putting together a formidable total of 250 runs for the loss of seven wickets by the end of their 20-over allocation. The innings was anchored by a spectacular century from top-order batter Doonath Singh, who notched 118 runs before being dismissed in the 19th over, just three runs short of closing out his team’s innings. Clinton Jn Jacques backed up Singh’s knock with a valuable 78 runs to push the team’s total past the 250 mark. For the Millet bowling unit, the day saw a consistent spread of wickets taken: Avitus James, Aloysius Charles, Kimrol Charles, Xavier Gabriel, Quintin Joseph, and Jona Donovan each claimed one wicket apiece to limit Combined Veterans’ final score.

    Chasing a target of 251 runs to win, Millet put on a clinical batting display that saw them cruise past the required total in just 15 overs, losing only one wicket along the way to finish on 251 runs for one wicket. The star of the innings, and ultimately named Man of the Match, was Xavier Gabriel, who hit an unbeaten 145 runs, peppered with consistent boundary clears that kept the run rate far ahead of the required pace. Kimrol Charles contributed 39 runs to the early partnership, while Jona Donovan closed out the innings unbeaten on 41 runs to seal the win.

    Tuesday’s fixture is just one of a series of thrilling matches played out this week in the tournament. Earlier in the same week, the Balata Crusaders secured a 63-run victory over Labayee. Batting first, Balata posted 200 runs for eight wickets, with Noel Gaspard top-scoring with 59 runs. In response, Labayee could only manage 137 runs all out, with Julius Simon’s 48 runs the highest contribution for the losing side. In another earlier fixture, Babonneau Minibus pulled off a 46-run upset win over Combined Veterans. Babonneau Minibus posted 252 runs for three wickets, with Mario Gittens, Shem Alexander, and Alvin Lafeuille all notching half-centuries to build the match-winning total.

    For Millet, Tuesday’s win marks their second victory of the tournament, putting the side in a strong position in the group standings. The team kicked off their tournament campaign last week with a convincing seven-wicket win over United Raiders. United Raiders posted 142 runs for six wickets after batting first, but Millet chased down the target in just nine overs, losing only three wickets in the process, with Xavier Gabriel once again delivering a standout performance, scoring 79 runs to lead the chase.

  • Saint Lucia 3×3 targets CAC Games qualification

    Saint Lucia 3×3 targets CAC Games qualification

    A new chapter in regional 3×3 basketball is set to unfold this May, as Saint Lucia prepares to send a four-player roster to the first-ever Under-23 3×3 championship organized by the Association of National Olympic Committees of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (ANOCES). The landmark tournament will run May 16 through 17 at the Multipurpose Sports Complex located in Road Town, Tortola, in the British Virgin Islands, gathering top young talent from across the Eastern Caribbean.

    For Saint Lucia, the tournament carries far more meaning than a simple developmental competition. The event represents a critical qualifying window for the XXV Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games, scheduled to take place from July 24 to August 8 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, with the qualification deadline closing in June. It would mark the first time that Saint Lucia’s basketball program has qualified for the regional multi-sport event, a historic milestone that the nation’s basketball federation is eager to achieve.

    The Saint Lucia roster features two players with recent high-level international 3×3 experience, a sign of the program’s steady growth in recent years. Sidney Didier of the Soufriere Kings has competed at both the U23 and senior national levels since 2022, while Junior Dupre represents the Morne Gladiators. Both athletes took part in last year’s FIBA Caribbean 3×3 competitions hosted in The Bahamas. Rounding out the four-member squad are Jazaniah Blanchard, also of the Morne Gladiators, and Ajini Ferdinand of the Courts Jets.

    Glen Guiste, president of the Saint Lucia Basketball Federation, explained that shifting to U23-level competition for major regional and global tournaments aligns with the new direction set by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA). “That’s where the game is going with FIBA,” Guiste noted. “The U23 World Cup, also CAC games in July, will be in the U23 category. This also gives us an opportunity to qualify for the said CAC Games – the window closes in June. So there’s a lot hinging on this tournament. Apart from a development opportunity for us, it’s also an opportunity to qualify for CAC games for the first time in basketball.”

    Guiste emphasized that beyond the stakes of qualification, the tournament demonstrates the long-term success of the federation’s youth development programs. Years ago, a young U17 Saint Lucia team traveled to Venezuela for competition and struggled to secure strong results. Today, many of those same players are now competing for spots on the U23 national squad, showing clear signs of tangible growth. The current cohort of young prospects is also learning from the nation’s more experienced senior players, who have competed at the AmeriCup tournament in recent years.

    “It’s just great to see that we have players who are stepping up to the plate, and they’re developing through all the programmes that we run,” Guiste said. “So one of the milestones is the growth of the players in the game, and they are on the heels of the more seasoned senior players, who have gone to AmeriCup over the past couple years. So that again shows that the game is in good hands.”

    Entering the tournament, Saint Lucia is ranked second among competing teams, with only St Kitts & Nevis holding a higher ranking. Other nations competing at the event include Dominica, Grenada, and St Vincent & the Grenadines. Along with the four competing players, the Saint Lucia traveling delegation includes head coach Christus Michel, referee Shadrack Theodore, and team manager Neil Joseph.

    The tournament is paired with capacity-building initiatives organized by FIBA, designed to train and equip member federations across the region. The overarching goal of these efforts is to help Eastern Caribbean nations build competitive programs that can compete for medals on the global 3×3 basketball stage, growing the format across the Caribbean long-term.

  • Craft Masters edge Eagles to reach SPL Qualifier 2

    Craft Masters edge Eagles to reach SPL Qualifier 2

    On the evening of May 12, the Francis “Baba” Lastic Grounds played host to a do-or-die knockout clash in the Saint Lucia Premier League T20, where Choiseul Craft Masters and Micoud Eagles fought tooth and nail for a continued shot at the tournament title. What unfolded was a contest full of unexpected twists, with the Craft Masters ultimately claiming a hard-fought five-wicket victory to advance to the next qualifying round, despite costly fielding errors that nearly handed the game to their opponents.

    Micoud Eagles, batting first, got off to a disastrous start. The Craft Masters’ opening bowling attack struck immediately, removing opener Dominic Auguste for a golden duck. Wickets continued to fall on a regular basis through the first 10 overs, leaving the Eagles reeling at 71 runs for the loss of four wickets. It was at this point that the game’s most dramatic turn unfolded.

    Middle-order batters Murlan Sammy and Rohan Lesmond stepped to the crease, and the Craft Masters’ bowling unit created multiple clear chances to send both batters packing early. However, uncharacteristic lapses in the outfield let the Eagles off the hook: Choiseul dropped a total of seven catches during the pair’s innings, gifting them extended time at the wicket to build a formidable partnership. Sammy capitalized on his lucky escape, compiling a shaky but impactful 55 runs from 47 deliveries, while Lesmond chipped in with a valuable 39 runs. By the end of their 20 overs, Micoud Eagles had posted a surprising total of 164 runs, a score that looked far out of reach just a few overs earlier. For the Craft Masters, bowlers Bronté Bess and Shawnil Edward delivered consistent performances despite the fielding lapses, claiming two wickets apiece for 28 and 19 runs respectively.

    Chasing 165 runs for victory, the Craft Masters got off to a blistering start in their run chase. The opening pair raced to 48 runs inside the first four overs before losing Jason Simon, the first wicket of the innings. Simon’s opening partner Trevon James, an overseas import, held his ground through the rest of the innings to anchor the chase, eventually earning the Man of the Match award for his match-winning knock. James remained unbeaten on a destructive 75 runs from just 42 deliveries, hitting five fours and five towering sixes to guide his side across the finish line. The win secured the Craft Masters a spot in Qualifier 2, which will be held at the same venue this coming Sunday, sending the large contingent of traveling orange-clad Choiseul fans into wild celebrations.

    In his post-match press interaction, Kurstan Jules, captain of the victorious Craft Masters, highlighted his side’s ability to stay resilient despite the self-inflicted pressure from costly fielding mistakes. He also paid tribute to the unwavering support of his team’s fanbase, who turned out in large numbers for the knockout clash.

    “Dropping seven catches definitely put us under a lot of unnecessary pressure,” Jules noted. “Even with that, we still managed to restrict them to only 164, which speaks volumes about the quality of our bowling attack. I have to give a lot of credit to our bowlers for staying focused, and our batters for stepping up and closing out the win for us.”

    Speaking about the team’s fan support, Jules added: “Choiseul is just on the other side of the island, but our fans still turn out in huge numbers to support us. Here in Gros Islet, we had more supporters here than any other team, and that just shows how committed they are to this side. Every win we get is for them.”

    The Craft Masters will now wait for the result of Qualifier 1, scheduled to take place on Friday evening, to learn the identity of their next opponent. The upcoming Qualifier 2 acts as a de facto semi-final, with the winner earning a place in this year’s Saint Lucia Premier League T20 final.

  • Saint Lucia gets tool to detect outbreaks faster

    Saint Lucia gets tool to detect outbreaks faster

    Ten Caribbean countries and territories have successfully upgraded their diagnostic capabilities with cutting-edge Molbio rapid PCR testing platforms, a development that is set to revolutionize how the region detects and responds to infectious disease outbreaks. The rollout, completed by March 26 under the Pandemic Fund Project, is led by the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), which confirmed Saint Lucia, Barbados, The Bahamas, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and Trinidad and Tobago as the participating member states.

    Unlike traditional testing setups that can take multiple days to deliver results, the new platform delivers accurate diagnostic outputs for a wide range of pathogens in under two hours. The technology is designed to detect more than a dozen high-priority infectious diseases that pose major threats to public health in the region, including SARS-CoV-2, influenza, cholera, malaria, HIV, hepatitis, tuberculosis, salmonella, leptospirosis and rabies. It also has the capacity to test for pathogens with high pandemic potential, such as Nipah virus and norovirus, filling a critical gap in the region’s early warning systems.

    Following the completion of installations, the initiative is moving into its next operational phase: routine diagnostic testing across all participating sites. All testing data will be compiled and shared on a weekly basis with CARPHA through the platform’s integrated digital reporting system, enabling seamless aggregation of information into regional public health surveillance networks. This connected data infrastructure allows for continuous monitoring of platform performance and supports coordinated, fast-acting responses when new disease threats emerge.

    Complementing the hardware rollout, CARPHA has also completed targeted training for more than 50 laboratory professionals across the participating countries, building sustainable local technical capacity to operate and maintain the new systems. This hands-on training ensures that national health networks can leverage the full potential of the technology long after the initial deployment.

    CARPHA Executive Director Dr. Lisa Indar framed the successful completion of installations as a transformative milestone for regional public health infrastructure. “By combining cutting-edge diagnostic technology with targeted workforce training, CARPHA is ensuring that countries are better prepared to detect, respond to and manage public health threats in real time,” she said.

    The initiative has already demonstrated its value in emergency response scenarios. During Hurricane Melissa that impacted Jamaica in October 2025, the platform was installed and local staff were fully trained within just a few days, enabling immediate emergency testing and boosting the country’s disaster response readiness. Looking ahead, the upgraded diagnostic systems are expected to cut turnaround times for diagnosis from days to under two hours, enabling earlier case identification, faster isolation of infected individuals, and more effective containment of outbreaks. This progress ultimately strengthens regional surveillance capabilities and boosts the long-term resilience of national health systems across the Caribbean.

  • Health authorities monitoring hantavirus outbreak; no local cases reported

    Health authorities monitoring hantavirus outbreak; no local cases reported

    A global public health monitoring effort is underway after a hantavirus outbreak emerged aboard the cruise vessel MV Hondurus, with the Caribbean nation of Saint Lucia confirming it remains at low risk of local transmission as authorities track the evolving situation.

    The cruise ship set sail from Argentina on April 1, carrying a diverse group of passengers and crew representing 28 nationalities. As of May 11, the outbreak has been linked to nine reported hantavirus infections, three of which have resulted in fatalities. Five of the nine cases have received formal laboratory confirmation, and public health investigators are continuing active surveillance to detect unreported cases and curb further spread of the pathogen.

    In an official public statement released Tuesday, Dr. Michelle Francois, Saint Lucia’s leading national epidemiologist, reaffirmed the island’s current risk status. “At present, Saint Lucia is considered to be at low risk for hantavirus transmission…. At this time, there are no suspected or confirmed cases of virus in Saint Lucia,” she stated.

    Francois explained that all nations with citizens who disembarked from the infected vessel are coordinating closely with global public health agencies to conduct ongoing monitoring of all exposed passengers and crew for early signs of infection. Health authorities have also received notification that one Caribbean national onboard the ship may have been exposed to the virus, but the government of that country has since confirmed no suspected or confirmed infections have been detected within its borders to date.

    Per the epidemiologist, the World Health Organization (WHO) has also assessed the global public health risk posed by the outbreak as low, though officials note that additional cases may still surface in coming weeks due to hantavirus’s lengthy incubation period.

    For context, hantavirus is primarily a zoonotic pathogen, meaning it most often spreads to humans from direct contact with infected rodents, specifically through exposure to the animals’ urine, feces, or saliva. Limited person-to-person transmission has only ever been recorded for the Andes virus strain – the same strain connected to this current outbreak – and even this route of infection requires close, prolonged contact with an already infected individual to occur.

    Common early symptoms of hantavirus infection include fever, persistent headache, muscle pain, abdominal discomfort, nausea, and vomiting. In the most severe cases, the infection can progress rapidly to dangerous respiratory complications, including persistent coughing, shortness of breath, dangerous fluid accumulation in the lungs, and even septic shock.

    To support public prevention efforts, Saint Lucia’s Ministry of Health, Wellness and Nutrition has issued updated guidance for residents. People traveling to regions affected by the outbreak are advised to avoid areas known to have high rodent populations whenever possible. For anyone cleaning spaces that have been contaminated by rodents, the Ministry strongly recommends using appropriate personal protective equipment, including disposable face masks and rubber gloves, as well as effective disinfectants to reduce the risk of exposure to airborne virus particles.

    Saint Lucia’s health department says it will continue to monitor all developments related to the MV Hondurus outbreak closely, and will issue timely public updates as new information becomes available.

  • Teen starts snack business to fund his accounting dream

    Teen starts snack business to fund his accounting dream

    Beneath the dappled shade of the Massy Stores building in Rodney Heights, 19-year-old Dwight Regobert stands steady, holding an open cardboard box at chest height. For passersby stopping to browse, the box reveals an assortment of granola bars, rice crispy treats, and other grab-and-go snacks – the core of his self-started small business.

    For five months, this driven teen has operated his informal venture across the route between Rodney Bay and Castries, and his quiet, unwavering commitment has not gone unnoticed by repeat customers and community members who have encountered him. Just two days after agreeing to share his journey, Regobert stepped away from his usual post outside the supermarket to sit down for an exclusive interview with St Lucia Times.

    A soft-spoken young man of few words, Regobert speaks openly about the planning that went into launching his business and the community support that has kept it running. “I wanted to start a business, and I figured people would like these,” he explained candidly, gesturing to the colorful red, orange, and blue-wrapped snacks stacked inside his box. Though the venture has no official name, it serves a clear, purpose-driven goal that keeps Regobert showing up every day.

    Years ago, while a student at Castries Comprehensive Secondary School, Regobert found he not only enjoyed accounting classes but also possessed a natural aptitude for the subject. After leaving school, he still resides with his mother in the Georgeville neighborhood of Castries, and his choice to launch a snack sales business comes directly from his determination to earn professional accounting qualifications independently. Every dollar of profit from his snack sales goes toward covering tuition and exam fees for the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) programme, a globally recognized credential for accounting professionals.

    To date, Regobert has already passed two ACCA exams: the first, which he paid for in December, and a second he covered with business revenue this past March. Four more exams stand between him and full ACCA certification, with his next exam scheduled for June, carrying a $750 price tag that he plans to fund entirely through his snack sales.

    Regobert admits his professional goals command almost all of his focus; he struggles to name other hobbies that fill his free time. But his expression brightens when he talks about his long-term plans after completing the ACCA programme, which include further specialized education in accounting. “I would like to do a Master’s at the University of London,” he shared, his gaze set on the institution’s MSc Professional Accountancy programme. “It’s so I could have enough qualifications” to build his dream career, he added.

    Regobert’s story of self-reliance and determined ambition has resonated deeply with everyone who has crossed paths with him. He remains open to additional support from community members who want to help him reach his goal, and welcomes anyone interested in reaching out to contact him via phone or text at 1 (758) 384-1969, or via email at caleb.wilson316@gmail.com.

  • Roseau Valley take top spot in Western football

    Roseau Valley take top spot in Western football

    A gripping penalty shootout unfolded at the Marigot Playing Field on Saturday, May 9, that crowned Roseau Valley the champions of the Saint Lucia Football Association Western Zone Under-20 Men’s District Tournament. After 90 minutes of regulation play ended in a 1-1 deadlock, Roseau Valley held their nerve from the spot, converting all five of their penalties and securing a match-winning save from their goalkeeper to edge Canaries by a final score of 5-4.

    The match delivered drama from start to finish. Canaries, who advanced to the final after a strong semifinal performance, drew first blood against Roseau Valley, the tournament’s highest-scoring outfit that had conceded the fewest goals throughout the zonal competition. With regulation time winding down and just two minutes remaining on the clock, Canaries conceded the equalizing goal that sent the contest to penalties, where Roseau Valley’s goalkeeper made the decisive stop on Canaries’ final spot kick to seal the title.

    With the Western Zone crown in hand, Roseau Valley now joins three other zonal youth champions: Gros Islet, Dennery, and Soufriere. In the tournament’s third-place playoff, South Castries claimed the bronze medal, while Anse La Raye finished in fourth position. Individual honors went to Armani Lesmond of South Castries, who topped the tournament’s goal-scoring charts with four total goals. Close behind him were Zyhym Jn Charles of Canaries—who netted two goals in the team’s semifinal victory over South Castries—and his teammate Jaden Longville, each ending the competition with three goals apiece.

    All four zonal champions will now turn their attention to the upcoming Blackheart Football Tournament, an interdistrict knockout competition kicking off this weekend in Vieux Fort. This year marks a historic milestone for the tournament, as Under-20 men’s teams will compete in the event for the first time ever, giving the young champions a chance to test their skill against the best youth squads across the island.