NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (May 16, 2021) — The following is an address delivered by Hon. Hazel Brandy-Williams, Junior Minister of Health and Gender Affairs in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) on the occasion of World Day of the Boy Child.

International Day of the Boy Child or International Boys’ Day as it is commonly called was first observed in 2018 and has since been celebrated each year on May 16th.

The simple goal of this day is to ensure that every boy grows up to be a man of integrity, who can positively impact his family and society. This day celebrates the contributions that boys make and can make to our communities.

Our boys should never be forgotten, so we pause to highlight the challenges they face on a daily basis and the issues they overcome as they develop.

We should all help to protect our boys from the harmful influences of society. There is the need to teach our boys to be strong and responsible individuals as they mature, so they can handle peer pressure and the other stressors of this world. This will ensure that we have boys who will grow up to be able to manage their households.

Each day our boys are faced with identity battles, trying to figure who they are versus who others want them to be. I encourage all of us to focus on the well-being of our boys. Do things that make them happy, healthy and feel valued. They need to understand that Nevis and the world on a whole need them and that they are treasured.

This is the first time that the Ministry of Health and Gender Affairs is observing this Day and so to help empower them, a fish trap making workshop is being held at Jessups playing field. Our aim is to foster their interest and to add to their skillset.

This activity is well received by the boys and we thank the Fishers of Jessups, Cotton Ground and Barnes Ghaut and the Department of Marine Resources for partnering with us. The Ministry of Health and Gender Affairs acknowledges the importance of boys and would like to wish them a Happy International Boys’ Day.