Knops and Van Ark visit the Caribbean
State Secretary Knops (Interior and Kingdom Relations) and State Secretary Van Ark (Social Affairs and Employment) will pay a working visit to St. Maarten, Saba and St. Eustatius from June 25th till 27th.
The visit of State Secretary Knops on June 25th and 26th to is dedicated to concrete results. He will see firsthand how the reconstruction of the island is progressing. He will take a closer look at a number of projects that are financed by the Dutch government, such as the repair of houses. Scheduled are visits to various large and smaller housing projects and he has meetings with residents and contractors. He will also pass by businesses of entrepreneurs who have made a new start with the help of microcredits and speak to persons who found jobs in the construction or hospitality sector through (re)training programs.
Social housing
State Secretary Van Ark visits Saba on June 25th and 26th .She will view a project for social housing on the island and will visit families at home to talk about poverty and debt counseling. She will also visit restaurant ‘Different Taste’, that offers people with a distance to the labor market the opportunity to gain work experience in the kitchen and as a waiter .On June 26th , Van Ark travels to St. Eustatius, where she visits a day care center and a project for job placement.
The two State Secretaries conclude their journey to the Caribbean on June 27th with a joint visit to St. Eustatius. That part of the program is dedicated to administrative consultations with St. Eustatius, Saba and Bonaire on the progress of the reference point social minimum.