Portland children fund
Published:Tuesday | December 23, 2008 | 9:32 AM
The government is moving quickly to ensure that the 50 children who lost at least one of their parents in the tragic accident in Portland on Friday night are taken care of.
State minister without portfolio in the prime minister’s office, Daryl Vaz is set to launch a fund aimed at taking care of the children’s education and other expenses.
He says the fourteen persons who died in the accident in most cases were the main breadwinners in their families.
Mr Vaz says the money collected will be used mainly for the children’s education.
He says a committee will be named today to work out the logistics of how the fund will be managed.
Mr Vaz is set to launch the fund at 10:30 this morning at the office of the prime minister and he says several individuals and organizations have already expressed an interest in making a contribution.
Mr Vaz is scheduled to meet with the families of the deceased to discuss funeral arrangements this afternoon.
The government has committed to underwriting the cost of the funerals.