My dear fellow citizens, friends and well-wishers of Grenada, Carriacou and Petit Martinique, by God’s Goodness and Grace, we have come to the end of yet another very challenging year as a nation, and therefore it is with greatest pleasure as well as a profound feeling of gratitude that I seize this opportunity, on behalf of the Ministry of Social Development, to extend to each and everyone of you, at home and abroad, warmest Christmas Greetings, and to wish that the peace, love and charity which Christmas symbolizes will fill our hearts and souls, and continue to reside with us throughout 2007. 2006 has undoubtedly been another year of many challenges for us all, individually and collectively, as we are in many respects, still in the process of building back better, whether it’s our homes, schools, businesses or the national economy. In this regard, we at the Ministry of Social Development have had our share of challenges, but despite the many trying circumstances and limitations, we have endured, and, with God’s Grace, and the kind cooperation of our many stakeholders, we shall continue, in our efforts to serve you the people of our Be-loved Nation. Fellow nationals and friends, we are all aware of the limited financial resources at the disposal of our Government. However, through the Ministry of Social Development thousands of our aged and most needy citizens continued to receive increased public assistance including Government funded water throughout the past year. Over a thousand of our secondary school and tertiary students have received monthly assistance with bus-fares and other necessities. We are, nevertheless, very much aware of the dire need that still exists in both categories and the lists are expected to increase in the New Year. Despite the challenges, we have a great deal for which we must be thankful. Permit me, therefore, to use this opportunity, on behalf of the Ministry of Social Development, our Government, and, you our people, to express our deepest appreciation to the many Governments and peoples, local, regional and international organisations, as well as, individual and corporate bodies who have, in some way contributed to the Ministry’s efforts at alleviating the plight of some of our people. We must recognize the Government and people of Venezuela for their greatly appreciated humanitarian gift of 100 houses that have been completed this year and which will be made available to some of you in the New Year. We also say a sincere THANK YOU to the Government and people of the People’s Republic of China for their promise of 2000 housing units over the next few years. Already we have had a team of engineers and other technicians who were here a few weeks ago gathering information for the first phase of 536 housing units that will commence next year and will be constructed in various locations throughout the State. As we approach 2007, there are also a number of other social problems in our beloved little nation which my Ministry and our Government will continue to address. Apart from the issue of housing, we have to deal with the plights of our elderly, the disabled, the homeless persons, the delinquent youths, as well as, the abused children and the victims of domestic violence. In the case of domestic violence and violence against women, in particular, I must take this opportunity to whole-heartedly thank all our stakeholders, particularly the NGO community, the churches, the business community, the various organisations and individuals, not forgetting the Grenada Bikers Association, the Police, the schools, indeed every concerned citizen, for the tremendous support that was demonstrated at our rally to protest violence against women last month. I once again appeal to the entire nation, but particularly to our male population, to join us in eradicating that dreadful scourge from our society in this twenty-first century. For our men who are guilty of this shameful behaviour, if you make no other New Year resolution, I urge that you pledge never to attempt any act of violence against your partners and, in general, the women of our nation from this day onwards. So in this Special Season of Peace and Goodwill, as we commemorate the Birth of the Prince of PEACE, Our Saviour, Jesus Christ, I extend an invitation to the entire nation, and to all persons of goodwill, wherever you may be, to join hearts and hands to bring peace and goodwill to the hearts of the disadvantaged in our midst, and especially to the poor persons who are most in need. In closing, I once again wish to commend and thank all our corporate friends and service organisations, all our social partners, nationally, regionally and internationally for their kind and ge nero us financial support which they rendered during the past year. I must also specially acknowledge also those groups and individuals from near and far who continue to provide our Homes for the Aged and our children’s homes and other needy persons with food, clothing and other items at this time of year. To my staff at the Ministry, I say thank you for your efforts during the past year and I look forward to greater commitment and cooperation as we strive to make a greater impact in 2007. To my constituents of St Andrew’s South West, I must say that it continues to give me greatest pleasure to serve you, and for your continued loyal support I thank you sincerely. To my colleague Ministers of Government and Members of Parliament, I thank you for your support throughout the year and I look forward to working with you towards the greater enhancement of the economic and social development of our nation in 2007. My dear fellow nationals, friends and well-wishers of our beautiful Spice Isles, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and a truly productive, bright and prosperous New Year. May God Bless Our Nation! Hon. Yolande Bain-Horsford Minister for Social Development