by Linda Straker
- First project under Nation Builders initiative was a Water Access and Sanitation in Homes (WASH) project piloted in St David
- EC$4,445,000 allocated as one-off subvention to Nation Builders Inc to support WASH programme through various constituencies
- Non-profit organisations have no share capital and do not pay tax on money received through subvention or donation
The Government of Grenada has provided EC$4,445,000 to a non-governmental organisation (NGO) which was legally registered in October 2023 to execute an initiative that falls under the Ministry of Mobilisation, Implementation and Transformation according to the 2024 and 2025 Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure.
While contributing to the 2025 budget debate, Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell on Tuesday, 11 March 2025, told the Lower House of Parliament the funds are being used to build toilets and bathrooms for vulnerable citizens in various constituencies. In his constituency of St David, 37 homeowners representing different villages had concrete toilet and bathroom extensions to their homes through the WASH project. “The WASH programme is being run through a non-governmental organisation that is partnering with Nawasa and the Government that is called Nation Builders Inc. For the record, Mr Speaker, I am reporting that EC$4,445,000 has been allocated as a one-off subvention to Nation Builders Inc to support the WASH programme through the various constituencies.”
In March 2023, Government Advisor Orlando Romain disclosed in a town hall meeting that Government had launched an initiative that it believes will remove the bureaucracy when it comes to the implementation of community projects. The Nation Builders initiative was described as a facilitator for citizens’ involvement in building the country. He explained that the first project under the Nation Builders initiative is a Water Access and Sanitation in Homes (WASH) project, piloted in the parish of St David, whose representative in the Lower House of Parliament is the Prime Minister.
“The WASH programme is an initiative by the Government of Grenada to ensure that every household in the country has access to clean water and adequate sanitation facilities by 2027. We believe that access to clean water and adequate sanitation is a basic human right, and we are committed to making this a reality for every household in Grenada,” Prime Minister Mitchell said when he introduced the idea at a town hall meeting in St David on 15 March 2023.
Though Nation Builders was announced as an initiative of the state, a search of public documents at the Corporate Affairs and Intellectual Property Office (CAIPO) in January 2024 showed that Nation Builders Inc. is not a project that has to comply with the financial rules and regulations established for Government agencies and departments. It is a registered non-profit or non-governmental organisation.
As a result of that format of registration, the NGO will have to comply with the applicable clauses in the 1994 Company Act. It was registered in October 2023 following an application to the Attorney General’s Chamber in September 2023 by the law firm Mitchell and Co., whose local address is Unit 14-16 Excel Plaza, Grand Anse, St George.
The letter seeking approval from the Attorney General’s Chamber was submitted on 21 September 2023 and the reply was processed on 3 October. It is signed by Rae Thomas who is a crown counsel in the Attorney General’s Chamber. According to the Articles of Incorporation, the non-profit organisation shall only carry on business of “a philanthropic, charitable, educational, scientific, literary, artistic, professional, sporting, or athletic nature.”
“More particularly, the company will carry on the business of executing projects that address prevalent social issues within communities, such as poverty, environmental concerns, and inadequate living standards, economic initiatives and focus on stimulating economic activity with communities by promoting job creation and programs that provide Grenadians with access to knowledge and resources that enable financial self-sustainability,” said the registered documents dated 5 October 2023.
The first 3 directors are Benedict Peters, a former public officer whose address is listed as Paradise, St Andrew; Dorcina Sharine Ruth Noel, whose listed address is Soubise, St Andrew; and Marie Benjamin, whose address is listed as Mont Road, Grand Anse, St George. They were all appointed on 12 September 2023.
In Grenada, a non-profit organisation is a type of company that has no share capital. They are tax-exempt or charitable, meaning the entity does not pay tax on the money received through subvention or donation.
