St. Helena Community Early Childhood Care & Education (ECCE) Centre relaunched following Proman Group flood restoration efforts

Friday, 1st February – Proman Group and the staff and children of St. Helena Community Early Childhood Care & Education (ECCE) Centre held a joint relaunch ceremony for the Centre today, following extensive renovation work to repair damage caused by last year’s severe floods. In an event marked by performances and poetry by the Centre’s 50 children, aged between 3 and 5, as well as a tree-planting and ribbon-cutting ceremony by Proman Group’s Claus Cronberger and St. Helena’s Head Teacher Linda Marajh, guests celebrated the transformation and revitalization of the Centre as it marks its 30 year anniversary.

This community project was completed by the Proman Community Action Group, formed of skilled volunteers from across the Group’s subsidiaries in Trinidad. The month-long rebuild was project managed by Industrial Plant Services Limited (IPSL), which operates all 14 of the Group’s petrochemical plants in the Point Lisas Industrial Estate, and executed by Proman AG (Trinidad) Ltd, Proman Group’s construction and project delivery subsidiary in Trinidad.

During IPSL’s initial site visits in early November 2018, the Centre and its surrounding were found to be severely damaged after being inundated with more than 3 feet of water. The Group made an immediate plan to address the unsanitary and unsafe conditions, working tirelessly alongside St. Helena staff for over two weeks to clean up debris, re-paint walls and furniture, procure new teaching materials, and reinstate tables, kitchen appliances and shelving.

Following this initial urgent work, the opportunity was also taken to uplift the facilities and infrastructure of the Centre and its surroundings, to enable current and future students and teachers to flourish in an improved environment. To this end, Proman Group’s volunteers undertook extensive work to improve poor drainage around the Centre, as well as overhauling the bathroom facilities, installing new toilets tailored to the young students, and installing a brand new ceiling for the whole building.

Speaking on behalf of the Proman Group, Claus Cronberger, Chief Executive of Process Energy (PETL) and Member of the Board of Proman Holdings, said:

“I am delighted to see the completion of these restoration efforts. This Early Childhood Care & Education Centre plays an important role in St Helena, providing a much-needed space for children of all backgrounds to learn and develop. Projects like this create real and lasting benefit to local children and families, and embody the Proman Group’s long-term commitment to our people and communities. I especially want to thank the teams at IPSL and Proman Trinidad, as well as the staff at St. Helena, for their exceptional efforts in completing the restorations and returning the Centre to its full potential.”

Linda Marajh, Head Teacher of St. Helena ECCE Centre, said:

“It is such a pleasure to see the school up and running again. Thanks to the support from the Proman Group and the hard work of the volunteers from the Proman Community Action Group, our Centre has been transformed. It is now a safer and healthier place for the children, and you can see that in their smiles. I want to thank the St. Helena staff, SERVOL and fellow teachers from other ECCE centers for helping with the clean up in the earliest days after the flooding, and all the parents for their patience and support during this time.”

The restoration work at St. Helena ECCE Centre builds on Proman Group’s ongoing community efforts in Trinidad and Tobago. In October 2018 the Proman Group donated TT$1m to assist relief efforts following the floods. The money, channeled through the Living Water Community, provided emergency flood relief and will support the long-term rebuilding of homes and communities. In 2019, Proman Group began a US$1.2m (TT$8.1m) Group-wide partnership with Habitat for Humanity International, which will see investments in a range of home building, disaster resilience and emergency response projects across Trinidad and Tobago, as well as in Europe and the United States.

St. Helena’s Head Teacher, Linda Marajh, and staff and students, with volunteers from IPSL, and Claus Cronberger, Chief Executive of Process Energy and Member of the Board of Proman Holdings, outside the renovated ECCE Centre

Please see below a short video which outlines further details of the renovation and the positive effects it has had on school intake.