{"id":109539,"date":"2020-04-17T08:55:29","date_gmt":"2020-04-17T12:55:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=109539"},"modified":"2020-04-17T08:55:29","modified_gmt":"2020-04-17T12:55:29","slug":"out-of-the-mountain-of-despair-a-stone-of-hope","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/out-of-the-mountain-of-despair-a-stone-of-hope\/","title":{"rendered":"Out Of The Mountain Of Despair, A Stone Of Hope"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"antig-3644496880\" class=\"antig-ecab antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/discoverflow.co\/web\/antigua\" aria-label=\"ANU CVP Digital Broadband 1200x400_1\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1201\/h:401\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1201\/h:401\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 1201w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:100\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:342\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:256\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1201\" height=\"401\"   \/><\/a><\/div><div id=\"antig-1049417857\" class=\"antig-before-content antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/medicalbenefitsscheme\" aria-label=\"mbs ad\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1200\/h:400\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/mbs-ad.jpeg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1200\/h:400\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/mbs-ad.jpeg 1200w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:100\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/mbs-ad.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:341\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/mbs-ad.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:256\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/mbs-ad.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1200\" height=\"400\"   \/><\/a><\/div><p><span class=\"s2\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">Statement<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s2\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\"> by <\/span><\/span><span class=\"s2\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">U.S. <\/span><\/span><span class=\"s2\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">Ambassador Linda <\/span><\/span><span class=\"s2\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">Taglialatela<\/span><\/span><\/p><div id=\"antig-3851471794\" class=\"antig-content_5 antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ablpag\" aria-label=\"ABLP_2026_Launch_English_Digital-BB\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1920\/h:960\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ABLP_2026_Launch_English_Digital-BB-1.png\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1920\/h:960\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ABLP_2026_Launch_English_Digital-BB-1.png 2160w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:150\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ABLP_2026_Launch_English_Digital-BB-1.png 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:512\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ABLP_2026_Launch_English_Digital-BB-1.png 1024w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:384\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ABLP_2026_Launch_English_Digital-BB-1.png 768w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1536\/h:768\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ABLP_2026_Launch_English_Digital-BB-1.png 1536w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1920\/h:960\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ABLP_2026_Launch_English_Digital-BB-1.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"2160\" height=\"1080\"   \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p class=\"s7\"><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">Like you, I miss getting out of the house and visiting with friends and colleagues. \u00a0I miss the Easter celebrations of previous years and the buzz around Sailing Week. \u00a0My thoughts are too with my brothers and sister in the United States, where the epidemic has ravaged communities and pushed my home state of New York to the limit.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">I pray for the thousands of families in the Caribbean, the United States, and throughout the world who are grieving the loss of loved ones to COVID-19.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">The latest reports indicate more than 139,000 people, including 29,000 Americans, have died.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"s7\">\n<p class=\"s7\"><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, DC, surrounded at this time of year by the blooms of hundreds of cherry trees, is inscribed with the words: Out of the Mountain of Despair, a Stone of Hope.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"s7\">\n<p class=\"s7\"><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">Those words from MLK\u2019s 1963 \u201cI Have a Dream\u201d speech have taken on greater meaning for me during this pandemic.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">I find hope in the innovative ways American and Caribbean residents are coming together as communities to support one another, though still keeping six feet apart.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">I find hope in the U.S. companies that are retooling their factories to produce ventilators and personal protective equipment.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">I find hope in how Americans and our local and federal governments are leading the fight against COVID-19.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">These efforts build on a decades-long foundation of American expertise, generosity, and planning.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">We believe it is the right thing to do, and we also know that pandemics don\u2019t respect national borders.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">If we can help countries contain outbreaks, we will save lives abroad and at home in the United States.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"s7\">\n<p class=\"s7\"><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">That generosity and pragmatism explains why the United States was one of the first countries to help the Chinese people as soon as reports emerged from Wuhan of an outbreak.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">In early January, the United States government offered immediate technical assistance to the Chinese <\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">Centers<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\"> for Disease Control.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">In the first week of February, the United States transported nearly 18 tons of medical supplies to Wuhan provided by Samaritan\u2019s Purse, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and others.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">We also pledged US$100 million in assistance to countries to fight what would become a pandemic \u2013 including an offer to China, which was declined.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"s7\">\n<p class=\"s7\"><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">Our response now far surpasses that initial pledge.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the U.S. government has committed nearly US$500 million in assistance.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">This funding will improve public health education, protect healthcare facilities, and increase rapid-response capacity in more than 60 of the world\u2019s most at-risk countries.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">The United States continues to be the single largest health and humanitarian donor for both long-term capacity development and emergency <\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">response.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">We want to ensure that commitment is a shared international responsibility and that our contribution is used effectively, but that does not change the fact that America funds nearly 40% of the world\u2019s global health assistance programs, adding up to US$140 billion in investments in the past 20 years \u2013 five times more than the next largest donor.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">This money has saved lives, protected people who are most vulnerable to disease, built health institutions, and promoted the stability of communities and nations.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"s7\">\n<p class=\"s7\"><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">In Antigua and the Eastern Caribbean, that means U.S. funding supports the <\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">modeling<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\"> and forecasts of the University of the West Indies to help us understand when it will be safe to return to work, to school, or to church.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">U.S. aid funds the training of medical professionals who test for COVID-19 and establishes protocols in health care facilities to protect against the spread of the disease in these critical institutions.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">With health ministries around the region, we are paying for contact tracing to reach out to family and friends before the virus does.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">U.S. health assistance will help save lives in the countries that I have called home for more than four years.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"s7\">\n<p class=\"s7\"><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">Our help is much more than money and supplies. It is the experts we have deployed worldwide, and those still conducting tutorials today via teleconference.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">It includes trained doctors and public-health professionals who have studied at American educational institutions through U.S.-funded scholarships or participated in U.S. government exchanges.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">It is people like Michael Joseph, who just off his leadership at the Red Cross, is now working assiduously with U.S. courier companies to ensure the availability of medications, or Joy-Ann Harrigan and her team at the Special Education Needs Unit of the Ministry of Education who are preparing a hygiene and prevention program for some of society\u2019s most vulnerable young people.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">It is not only our government helping the world either.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">American businesses, non-governmental organizations, and faith-based organizations have given at least US$1.5 billion to fight the pandemic overseas, including U.S. citizens and American organizations and companies I\u2019ve seen featured in the press every week.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"s7\">\n<p class=\"s7\"><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">These are the stones of hope.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">Some are measured in dollars signs.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">Some are easily photographed.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">Many are not.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">The truth is the United States will aid others during their time of greatest need.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">The COVID-19 pandemic is no different.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">We will continue to help countries build resilient health care systems that can prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease outbreaks.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">Just as the United States has made the world more healthy, peaceful, and prosperous for generations, so will we lead in defeating our shared pandemic enemy, and rising stronger in its wake.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"s7\">\n<div id=\"antig-2806130927\" class=\"antig-in-comments_2 antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/@hadeedmotorsltd\" aria-label=\"Hadeed_WEB_Banner_MG-2\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1000\/h:250\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Hadeed_WEB_Banner_MG-2.png\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1000\/h:250\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Hadeed_WEB_Banner_MG-2.png 1000w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:75\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Hadeed_WEB_Banner_MG-2.png 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:192\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Hadeed_WEB_Banner_MG-2.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1000\" height=\"250\"   \/><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Statement by U.S. Ambassador Linda Taglialatela Like you, I miss getting out of the house and visiting with friends and colleagues. \u00a0I miss the Easter celebrations of previous years and the buzz around Sailing Week. \u00a0My thoughts are too with my brothers and sister in the United States, where the epidemic has ravaged communities and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":109540,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-109539","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.1 (Yoast SEO v24.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Out Of The Mountain Of Despair, A Stone Of Hope - Antigua News Room<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/out-of-the-mountain-of-despair-a-stone-of-hope\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Out Of The Mountain Of Despair, A 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