Vieux Fort, Saint Lucia :: Crew join Casilda, whose heart for families in her community inspired her to start her own organisation.
In Vieux Fort, Saint Lucia, our crew met a woman called Casilda who chose to leave her career behind and fully devote herself to serving her community.
Discovering her purpose
It was at 20 years of age, while studying at university, that Casilda first felt inclined to dedicate her life to non-profit work. After graduating, she went straight into her career as a social worker. But in time, she felt her purpose became clear. “In 2015 I knew that now was the time to resign from my job and do practical work to prevent young children from reaching the prisons,” she shared.
Starting from scratch came with fears and obstacles, but Casilda never gave up and is now the proud founder of Family Support and Supply Center. The organisation provides resources such as books, clothes and household items to the residents of Vieux Fort and surrounding areas.
Casilda found that she can even put her previous work experience to use by offering counselling to community members, focusing primarily on children from underprivileged families.
Part of the solution
Currently, Casilda is the only member of her team that is full-time. Though she is grateful for the support and help she has, there is much to be done and few hands available to meet the demand.
But she doesn’t let this challenge interfere with her passion.
“When I hear stories I always want to help,” Casilda explains. “That’s why I don’t just share [hope] alone… I try to be that source of help and part of the solution, instead of just identifying the problem.”
The Family Support and Supply Center has grown immensely, and Casilda now has the opportunity to begin an even bigger project – creating one space where all the resources can be accessed and people can come for emotional support.
Sharing help, hand in hand
Logos Hope arrived in Vieux Fort and heard of Casilda’s project. Over the course of many days, crewmembers worked alongside Casilda on the forty-foot container that will soon be transformed into the charity and counselling centre.
Until the container is ready, all the gathered resources are being stored in a warehouse. When it was too rainy to work outside doing construction on the container, the crew spent time in the warehouse sorting clothes, organising literature and cleaning.
Together, they were able to make great progress and Casilda’s goal is to officially open the community space in June 2025.
Take the step
To anyone who has a passion for helping others, Casilda would encourage you to pursue your goal however you can. “Once you get the impression on your heart and the desire to help others, just start doing the baby steps. In your community, you might have on your heart a specific family in need. I encourage you to just take that step and do it!”
With passions aligned for sharing help and hope to the community, Logos Hope crew was grateful to be a part of this project and looks forward to continued partnership with Family Support and Supply Center in the future.
Casilda also expressed a heartfelt thanks for each crewmember who helped her during the ship’s time in port. “I want to thank Logos Hope. With tears in my heart, I want to thank them for supporting me.”
Would you like to help us continue supporting people like Casilda in sharing knowledge, help and hope around the world? Find out more here. Thank you for your generous support!