The award ceremony was organized in recognition of International Men’s Day, which is celebrated annually on November 19 in many countries around the world. The names of the awardees and the areas that they were awarded in were Delwayne Delaney – Youth Development and Sports; Stuart Versailles – Agriculture; Dr. Ricardo Neil – Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Education; Lennox Warner – Construction; Pastor Peter Paul – Religion; Melvin “Mellie” Hewlett – Culture, and Stachio Williams – ICT;
Special awards were also presented to Samuel Depusoir – Centenarian Award, and Jose Rosa Santory – Humanitarian Award. RAMS Trading Ltd. was recognized as the Company of the Year Award, while Heston Hamm received the prestigious Prime Minister’s Internationals Men’s Day Award 2019.
Minister responsible for Gender Affairs, the Honourable Eugene Hamilton, told the audience in attendance that it was important for St. Kitts and Nevis to commemorate International Men’s Day as it is designed to promote gender equality and highlight the positive contributions of men and boys to society, as well as to raise awareness of the issues that men and boys face, improve gender relations, and highlight related social issues.
“As we celebrate this wonderful day under the theme Men Leading by Example, we consider the men in our federation. We consider them in their multiple roles as husbands, fathers, employees, citizens and leaders to name a few. It is in those roles and many more, if we look closely, that we will see the finer qualities of men, who shape and mould our present and future generations,” Minister Hamilton stated.
Honourable Hamilton, who also serves as the Minister of Health, encouraged males to enter professions such as nursing, as well as teaching in the Early Childhood Units to enhance the positive influence that is made on children at an early age.
“Let us encourage men to lead by example and encourage our brothers to make positive contributions to our society. Let us all, therefore, make a difference in the lives of each other, men and boys, as we strive to achieve gender equality,” the minister stated.
According to www.internationalmensday.com, “There were various attempts to start an International Men’s Day that received little response. It wasn’t until the November date which was inaugurated in Trinidad and Tobago by Dr. Jerome Teelucksingh in 1999 that International Men’s Day began to get international traction. The new event received overwhelming support in the Caribbean, and due to the persistent networking and invitations sent to individuals in other nations, International Men’s Day has taken root on the international scene. The Caribbean initiative is now independently celebrated in countries as diverse as Singapore, Australia, India, United Kingdom, United States, South Africa, Haiti, Jamaica, Hungary, Malta, Ghana, Moldova, and Canada and interest in the event is increasing rapidly.”
