The Fund for Special Journalism Projects (Fonds Bijzondere Journalistieke Projecten – Fonds BJP) visited Curaçao, Aruba, Bonaire, Sint Maarten, and Saba, last month, aiming to connect with local journalists and media creators, and inform them about available funding opportunities.

Journalists in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom, may avail themselves to various forms of support the fund offers, ranging from project grants to scholarships and training programs.

That is good news because if you have a project in mind, such as large-scale journalistic productions, including documentaries, (web) reports, podcasts, and written works, you may receive support from the fund, if you present your case, and get its stamp of approval.

The fund also supports talent development by offering internships and scholarships for further education. In addition to project subsidies, the fund offers a Training and Work Program for Investigative Journalism and a Journalism Development Scholarship for freelance journalists looking to further their careers. It also organizes networking events to foster collaboration and experimentation with new storytelling and publishing formats.

Founded in 1990, the Fund for Special Journalism Projects supports journalists through financing from the Culture and Media Budget of the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science. Its mission is to fund independent journalistic projects and promote professional development in the field.

For more information about funding opportunities, visit www.fondsbjp.nl

(currently available only in Dutch).

The Hudson Valley Writers Residency, in Coxsackie.

I know you never heard about the place but apparently, it is a small writers’ paradise, a place that lets creative juices flow.

Bjorn Thorstad, Founder, Executive Director, Artist in Residence, recently visited Aruba and stayed with his college buddy Fernando Mansur. He became the guest of honor at the recent Poetry Night, by Basha Foundation, at Checkpoint Color, in Oranjestad.

He met Aruba’s poets and writers at the first Poetry Night for 2025 and invited them to apply for residency.

https://www.hudsonvalleywriters.org/apply

“If you have any publishing plans in mind, you may want spend a few days, weeks or months in deep focus on your project; take meals with a multidisciplinary cohort of up to four other artist/writer/housemates; enjoy access to the storied and revitalized village center, with its cafes, wine, vintage clothing and antique stores, speakeasy, apothecary, and health food general store; and benefit from country living along Coxsackie’s unrivaled, pristine section of Hudson riverfront.”

From their website: Hudson Valley Writers Residency is a Live/Write/Work/Create community at a Victorian House in the downtown historic district of a quaint village The New York Times and Times Union have called the new “it” spot in the Upper Hudson Valley.

Perched hillside atop the main street in an idyllic village setting, this beautiful Victorian house is a creative oasis. From bedroom windows, enjoy views of the village and Hudson River.

I asked Miguel Mansur, what he thought of our uncertain times.

He is a former member of parliament and the leader of Accion21:

Capital markets hate uncertainty and that is what the new US administration has excelled at delivering. Tariffs against its closest allies, suspension of aid to Ukraine, overtures to Russia, withdrawals from US founded international institutions etc., the post-war international system is aflame.

Trade wars only inflict economic destruction until someone finally blinks.

The present rules-based international trade, evolved from the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) into the World Trade Organization (WTO), but now it appears to be dismantling.

Current US administration’s disdain for institutions and systems established according to its post WWII values, marks a rupture with globalization towards more isolationist policies, preferred by many conservatives.

The rollercoaster ride for portfolios may prove rough. Canada and Mexico are likely to go into recession and that may expand to other areas including the US itself.

What does this mean for Aruba? Past economic downturns have translated into fewer visitors which puts pressure on both public and private finances.

Should a trade war endure and expand to include the EU, then we may face a significant decrease in arrivals, in the order of 10-20% with lower room rates etc.

This is not an ideal situation for any new government, especially one with ambitious social spending goals like increasing pensions AFL. 700, – in the first 100 days.

The former government addressed financial shortfalls by increasing taxes, like every administration before them. Will AVP-Futuro finally take on the challenge of reducing government expenditure? Unlikely, that move costs votes, and both parties came to power on a wave of optimistic populism. Therefore we can expect difficult relations with the Netherlands as we struggle to comply with fiscal norms due to lower income and all that it will bring.

I asked economist Rendell de Kort, what he thought of our uncertain times.

Rendell has contributed to discussions on sustainable agriculture in Aruba, highlighting opportunities to boost the sector domestically, through sustainable practices:

On the phone Rendell told me it feels like 2020 against, only amplified, because this time, there is a risk of an all-out war in Europe and serious global trade interruptions.

Our minister of Economic Affairs presented the economic outlook just recently and that document can now be shredded, because the world is a different place today — different than it was two weeks ago.

New scenarios must be drawn.

And there are so many moving parts, we just do not know what the repercussions of recent events would be. We do not know where all this is going!

We think that Aruba has not been affected by the US administration’s donor fatigue, and the cuts of foreign aid. But we have. These foreign aid reductions have affected international NGOs operating here, such as HIAS, UNHCR, IOM. All NGOs dealing with migration, saw their budgets slashed.

Remember how the Red Cross Netherlands sent us food during the pandemic?

Under the new circumstances, because the world food program is US donation dependent, many countries are deprived of much needed help.

And we cannot forget how interconnected everything is.

The price of eggs goes up in Aruba? That is because chicken feed coming from the Netherlands became more expensive because the grain, grown in Ukraine, became scarce thanks to the war.

(There are also other reasons, this is an example.)

And hurricane preparedness measures in the Caribbean are significantly funded by the US. Did they pull out support?

(The Netherlands is obliged to support via kingdom.)

As an island, Aruba is vulnerable.

Editor: Tuesday morning a boat leaving Venezuela illegally, with 24 or 26 people, capsized en route to Curacao, just ten people were rescued, the rest might be lost.

There is a giant conglomeration of refugees in the area between southern Panama and Colombia. The area called the Darién Gap is riddled with dangers from desperate people and untamed nature, and it is just a stone throw away from us.

Aruba is vulnerable. In many areas, including food security, illegal migration, most importantly, our currency, is linked to the dollar, it all contains crisis potential.

How can we become more resilient if we cannot look into the future to see what is ahead, and if we don’t actively prepare?

March is Member Appreciation Month at Botica di Servicio! Thanks to the success of last September’s campaign, Botica di Servicio is once again launching this initiative to show appreciation to its members. As part of the campaign, there were delighted winners every week at each pharmacy location.

Throughout the entire month, Botica di Servicio members can visit any of the four locations and enjoy fresh fruit every Monday, participate for a chance to win a gift certificate valued at 100 florins every week, and take advantage of special member promotions—just to name a few!

How Can You Participate as a Member?

Participating is simple! Visit one of the four locations—Botica Eagle, Botica Noord, Botica Maria, or Botica Seroe Preto—and enjoy fresh fruit during your visit when picking up your prescription. If you’re just shopping, spend 50 florins or more and get a chance to win a 100-florin gift certificate!

Additionally, there will be health check-ups at Botica Eagle on Thursday, March 6, and at Botica Seroe Preto on Thursday, March 20.

On Sunday, March 23, Botica Eagle will host Healthy Sunday from 9AM to 1PM, featuring various organizations offering information, tastings, promotions, and much more!

Botica di Servicio is giving back and warmly invites its members to take advantage of this special month while expressing gratitude for their loyalty and support over the years.

There is a lot going on in the world and Aruba celebrated Carnival. We had a fantastic time, but someone must pay attention to the future.

The stock market in the USA dropped yesterday significantly and will continue to drop following the tariff strategy introduced by the new administration in the US.

Perhaps you don’t know, but there are now president-imposed tariffs on all imports from Mexico, and Canada, 25%, and China, 20%, which will make everything more expensive for Americans, some say up to $2,000 a year, per household. As the dollar loses its buying power, inflation will rear its ugly head.

That is as far as I understand what is happening.

I know tariffs are an old-fashioned instrument that isolates a country in the global interconnected economy, where having no borders and an open economy help consumer get more for their money.

(Think about it: $2,000 pays in part for a vacation in Aruba, so we should be concerned.)

The thought behind tariffs? An attempt to protect USA made goods, which will seem cheaper in comparison. But there is a reason why manufacturers are manufacturing overseas.  The reason is labor cost. A factory worker costs less in Cambodia.

Anyway the tariffs will make everything we buy more expensive, and as reported by Tourism Analytics, the Consumer Confidence Index declined greatly in February, and will continue to slip, as “consumers become pessimistic about future business conditions and less optimistic about future income. Pessimism about future employment prospects also worsened and reached a ten-month high.”

Our two election winners are still debating, who will do what, besides the screening process is still going on. There is a lack of urgency, everywhere.

Even at the airport where a shortage of immigration officers, makes it impossible to process passengers efficiently at peak times. There is no sense of urgency there, to come up with short term solutions to protect the positive vacation experience our visitors enjoy, in danger of being marred by a disastrous airport departure experience.

We are uncertain what will happen in the US. Will all the firings result in a more efficient government machine.

Will US citizens whose personal wealth is invested in stocks, see their value decrease?

Will companies in Canada and Mexico more to the US? If they do, they will need a lot of money for investment, that was just lost in the last two days.

Countries in Europe must be concerned about their defense against Russia, they are all looking very sad with their economies shrinking, and their defense budgets soaring.

Yet in Aruba we stick to our complicated bureaucratic ways, and decision-making processes.

FYI: The Dutch are also preoccupied by their defense and economy and will not pay us any attention.

To conclude someone should be thinking about our American visitors, losing some of their net worth AND disposable income. Will they continue to book Aruba Vacations.

We will not feel the downturn in the next two months, but comes the summer, May/June, the ripple effect may get here.

Sleepless on Malmok

https://batibleki.wheninaruba.com/sleepless-on-malmok/

The downside of a surplus

https://batibleki.wheninaruba.com/the-downside-of-a-surplus/

Let them eat cake

https://batibleki.wheninaruba.com/let-them-eat-cake/

The Ozempic controversy

https://batibleki.wheninaruba.com/the-ozempic-controversy/