The hard work of developing Quality Infrastructure in the Caribbean is just starting to pay off.

That’s the view of quality expert, Pat Paladino, as he addressed a meeting of National Accreditation Focal Points (NAFP) officials from eight CARICOM countries in Barbados earlier this week.

The workshop, which ended yesterday, was an initiative under the 10th EDF-TBT Programme, funded by the European Union and implemented by the CARICOM Regional Organisation for Standards & Quality (CROSQ), the German Metrology Institute (PTB) and the Dominican Institute for Quality (INDOCAL).

Paladino was one of the trainers at the workshop, which was led by Claudette Brown, Accreditation consultant and trainer.

Paladino stated that the global market was moving ahead in areas, requiring product tested by labs accredited by an accreditation body that is a signatory to international accreditation agreements. “Failure to meet the international requirements could result in a close out for products of the Caribbean,” he noted.

“Developed markets set the rules and they’ve embraced the international accreditation system. If the Caribbean can’t meet these rules, our businesses and
exporters are not going to be able to do business in these markets. Also, if the region is unable to provide recognised accreditation and conformity assessment services, then businesses and manufacturers will have to look outside the region to be able to have their products tested.

“Typically, businesses would have to go to the US, Canada or Europe and the cost of testing in these countries is probably ten or 20 times the cost of doing it here, if we had the capabilities. That’s pretty significant for these manufacturers,” he remarked.

The expert, who is a former President of the InterAmerican Accreditation Cooperation, the internationally recognised association of accreditation bodies in the Americas and other organisations interested in conformity assessment, said this was why the work of the CARICOM Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality (CROSQ) and the National Standards Bodies (NSBs) of the region was so important to mitigating some of the international risks.

“All the hard work is finally starting to pay off. There was a slow start getting people on board – knowledgeable and trained –but today we have an accreditation body that is already recognised internationally.

“We are also seeing a number of labs, both in the medical and testing area, come forward and attain accreditation. So, we are taking small steps, but the question is – are we moving fast enough?” he said.

Governments, he pointed out, must be made to understand why these processes are so important to national and regional development. Standards development organisations must adopt or adapt international standards as national standards to support businesses and export.

Brown indicated that participants would have reviewed the requirements of the ISO/IEC 17025 standard. She pointed out that this standard was applicable to all laboratories and can be used by the NAFPs to assist these labs in the development of their management systems for quality, administrative and technical operations. She pointed out that the workshop would have also covered other supporting information, including the benefits of accreditation, the accreditation process and assessor attributes.

CROSQ’s Technical Officer of Accreditation, Stephen Farquharson explained that the role of the NAFP was to assist Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs) with their quest for international accreditation to meet the needs of businesses.

He told the officials from Bahamas, Belize, Dominica, Guyana, Haiti, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis and Suriname that the week-long training would give them the basics needed to provide the necessary assistance to CABs, and especially laboratories.

Cooperation between the public and private sectors must be the order of the day, if this country is to see further growth and development in respect of the local ophthalmological services.

That’s the view of the Minister of Industry, International Business, Commerce and Small Business Development, Donville Inniss. He was addressing the 7th Annual Ophthalmology Conference at the Accra Beach Hotel, as he suggested that such partnerships would assist in making Barbados the Caribbean’s centre of excellence for eye care.

“We must make greater use of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital’s facilities by allowing private investors and investment in the plant and equipment therein. Why should the state continuously struggle with trying to find money to make such investment, when private enterprise can partner with the hospital?” he queried.

He added, “I note and reflect upon the fact that several years ago the Lions group did make a significant contribution to the QEH. We faltered along the way, but we were able to finally open the Lions’ Eye Care Centre and I believe we have some very state-of-the-art equipment therein. I’m told it has really grown out nicely… and I know that my ministerial colleague John Boyce and others are working assiduously to make that, indeed, a very state-of-the-art facility.However we must get the private sector involved.”

Inniss, adamant that the private sector has the means to invest, contended that the public sector must have an open mind and be willing to embrace the private sector’s involvement. Moreover, the former Minister of Health added that some of the key departments in the hospital like ophthalmology, must not only get finances from the private sector to grow out the department, but they should also get “private sector management” involved.

“Gone must be the days when officers in that institution believe that the world revolves around them. You must open your mind and you must open your heart and get private sector involved in the management of key departments of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital,” he said.

The Minister went a step further suggesting there is a need to open up the facilities at State owned institutions, to health care providers other than those currently employed there; he contends it is imperative that there is a sharing of resources at the national level. Inniss said that in his opinion, one of the worst things we can continue to do is to have our health care institutions controlled by a limited few.

“I am afraid that we will start to develop a culture that is not sustainable. We may very well find that we are depriving patients and others of the best skills and technology, as well as denying others an opportunity to hone their skills and to earn a decent living along the way. Why can’t an ophthalmology suite at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital be available for all ophthalmologists in Barbados to utilise, rather than each one of you ophthalmologists having your investments in your private facilities throughout the island?” he added. (JRT)

Minister of Finance, Christopher Sinckler, remains powerless as it relates to him sending home Central Bank Governor Dr. DeLisle Worrell, at least this is the case for the next six days.

This is because 72-year-old Worrell’s injunction to prevent Minister Sinckler from dismissing him was reinstated around 3:30 p.m. yesterday, in the No.9 Supreme Court, where the matter was heard before Justice Randall Worrell. This comes after an initial five-day injunction was lifted yesterday morning.

In the next six days, the Governor’s legal team, which is being led by Attorney Gregory Nicholls, is expected to appeal the original ruling which removed the first injunction.

“Injunction in place for another six days. We are waiting on a date of the Court of Appeal to determine what day they are going to hear us, so we haven’t got any information to that yet.

“The judge discharged the injunction this morning and we made a fresh application for the injunction to continue, pending the outcome of the appeal.

“The Court this afternoon determined that we will get another six days. I am satisfied, we have already filed our appeal and all of our documents and we are ready to go again,” attorney Nicholls told the media shortly after he emerged from the Supreme Court Building, accompanied by colleagues Renee Butcher and Janice Browne.

On Wednesday, Nicholls told the media that his case was a very serious legal matter and pointed out that if the decision did not return in his favour, there are other legal options on the table, including the Court of Appeal and the Caribbean Court of Justice.

He contended that the Minister of Finance does not have the power to get around the provisions of the Central Bank Act, which sets out how a director – including the governor of the Central Bank – can be removed.

It has been reported that Dr. Worrell was given an ultimatum to voluntarily step down from his post, or be dismissed.

However, the Central Bank Governor – who was appointed in 2009 and contract extended in 2014 for another five years – went to Court last weekend and got the injunction to prevent the Minster, who is in charge of the country’s purse, from sending him packing.

There was no sign of Dr. Worrell or the Minister of Finance at the court yesterday, though Attorney General Adriel Brathwaite was present.

Minister Sinckler is being represented by Solicitor General Jennifer Edwards, QC and Donna Brathwaite, QC. (AH)

IT is time for Government to make the tough choices to address the island’s growing fiscal deficit and declining foreign reserves.

This is according to President of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), Dr. Warren Smith, who made the comments during an interview with Barbadian media after the CDB’s annual press conference at its Wildey Headquarters yesterday.

“In economic matters, delay is never a good strategy because the problems that we find ourselves in, the challenge that we now are faced with, has been made more difficult as a consequence of the accumulation of the problem, so that this is an important lesson to learn. I think it is also important to appreciate that we need action now. The government of Barbados knows what to do,” Smith insisted.

Saying that the CDB was engaged in talks with the Freundel Stuart-led administration, he expressed his belief that the situation has reached the point where there is “no painless way out of this problem”.

He therefore advised the Government to do what it knew was necessary to return growth to the island’s economy, while indicating confidence that the island would be back on a path to recovery soon as long as such actions were taken.

Outlining the bank’s willingness to lend aid through funding, the CDB head noted that the island would first have to fulfil several requirements.

“We are ready to help, but there are certain things that need to be done before the assistance of the multi-lateral institutions like ourselves can become available, in a fulsome way. The debt situation is one that needs to be addressed urgently,” he said, explaining “that if certain tough decisions are made here in Barbados, possibilities would be opened up which would enable the infusion of nicely priced resources, which can be used to replace more expensive debt financing that is currently being accessed by the government of Barbados”. (JMB)

President of the Caribbean Development Dr. Warren Smith has expressed sadness at the impasse between the Ministry of Finance and Central Bank Governor Dr. Delisle Worrell.

In an interview with the Barbadian media yesterday morning at the bank’s Wildey headquarters, he outlined, “I do not want to get personal, but Dr. Worrell is a gentleman professional, who all of us who have studied the field of economics admire and respect very greatly. I think that we are sad to see what has taken place in what seems to be an emerging rift between the Central Bank and the Ministry of Finance.”

“It is not good for any country to have that contretemps develop between two key institutions, especially at a time when Barbados is struggling to address some very, very difficult economic problems that it faces at this time,” he stated.

He made the comments as Worrell’s legal team was before the Supreme Court fighting to keep his job as the island’s chief economic adviser, after reportedly being given the ultimatum by Finance Minister Chris Sinckler to either resign or be fired by February 13.

However, Worrell averted that action, taking the matter to the law courts. Through his attorney Gregory Nicholls, he was able to secure a temporary injunction from High Court Justice Randall, which was extended until yesterday.

The development came about as tensions rose between the Governor and the board of the Central Bank, resulting in the latter demanding his removal.

At the beginning of the month, Worrell warned government that the practice of printing money must come to an end, insisting that it must live within its means.

Pointing out that Barbados has been held up as a model for how it was possible to develop Caribbean economies in a ‘equitable manner’, Smith stated “there will be no rejoicing to see the situation where Barbados is today”.
(JMB)

A former Minister of Health is suggesting that steps should be taken to make health tourism a more significant contributor to the local economy.

Delivering the feature address at the opening of the 7th Annual Ophthalmology Conference at the Accra Beach Hotel, Minister of Industry, International Business, Commerce and Small Business Development, Donville Inniss maintained that this is a niche market Barbados should capitalise on. He pointed out that the country has a wealth of experience, skills and much of the equipment needed, but what is missing is the marketing.

With that in mind, he told those present that the field of ophthalmology is ripe for such, and insisted that there is an opportunity to market Barbados as the preferred referral centre for ophthalmology care within the Caribbean region. To that end, he has challenged local ophthalmologists to get the ball rolling in that regard.

“I certainly believe that with the skills and resources that we have in Barbados, we really need to get up and market the ophthalmology services throughout the wider Caribbean. Ophthalmologists are not going to survive at the level they wish to survive at if you depend entirely on this small population here in Barbados; you have to look at the wider Caribbean as your market. There is no sense having made that investment in your education, there is no sense the State having made investments in facilities at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, there is no sense you making investment in your private facilities, and then sit and believe your only market can be in Barbados,” he maintained.

Inniss added, “I note the work of the Chief Executive Office of the QEH, Dr. Dexter James in going out in the Caribbean and marketing the Queen Elizabeth Hospital as a referral centre. Recently, last year, he did join a team that I lead on missions in Grenada, St. Lucia and Guyana in particular, to promote Barbados for goods and services… But we need to go further.”

To that end, the Industry and International Business Minister said the time has come for partnerships to be developed with entities like regional air carrier LIAT as well as the hotel sector, to ensure that the country is offering the best package to get citizens from countries across the Eastern Caribbean to come to Barbados to access medical services. He said it is important that Barbados does its part to assist other countries in the region is addressing various medical conditions.

“No one should be leaving the Eastern Caribbean to go to Miami or Toronto or wherever to have ophthalmology services that can be readily available here in Barbados and I urge you ladies and gentlemen to join with us in making that happen. Greater partnerships with entities like Lenstec and other private companies as well as with leading healthcare facilities elsewhere, will be necessary to help us grow out our healthcare industry. We must be bold in pursuing such partnerships. It calls for more open-mindedness amongst those tasked with effecting positive change and a determination to stay the course,” he added.

His comments came as he also argued there is no reason why efforts cannot also be made here to partner with leading universities and hospitals of ophthalmology around the world, with the aim of advancing the country’s position relative to ophthalmological care within the region. (JRT)

We must do better.
This call to action comes from Outgoing Chairman of the Conference of Heads of Government and Prime Minister of Dominica Roosevelt Skerritt as he referred to some of the matters that were agreed upon by CARICOM Heads to be addressed but are still pending.

He was delivering remarks during the 28th Intersessional Meeting currently being held in Georgetown Guyana, where the outgoing chairman said: “Today many of these matters are still pending, as they languish in our Ministerial Councils, Committees, Commissions and Working Groups. Whether this is due to them being inquorate or Member States asking for time to consult, or even officials not being adequately prepared, the effect is the same – a hindrance to progress.”

Skerritt, while noting that the meeting will give Heads and update on the CSME, predicted that the update would give further evidence of a need to complete the tasks set by the Heads of Government.

“Of particular concern is the inability of the Legal Affairs Committee comprising our Attorneys-General to come together to deal with critical Agreements with respect to both the CSME and Regional Security. I am also concerned that our Council for Finance and Planning has not been able to meet for a considerable period of time. We can and must do better.”

He commended Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell and the Ministers with responsibility for Information and Communication Technology (ICT). “They accepted the mandate given last July to consider the ICT Road map and make recommendations to the Conference and at this meeting we have those recommendations before us for consideration.”

Skerritt warned those gathered that small states are under threat of the rising tide of nationalism across the globe. “Further, the concentrated attacks on our economies, whether through the withdrawal of correspondent banking services, listing our countries as non-cooperative tax jurisdictions or denigrating our citizenship by investment programmes, confirm that we are operating in an increasingly hostile international environment.”

“This is compounded by the fact that most of us have been graduated out of receiving concessional development financing; even though there has been some progress in mitigating the impact of this particular mechanism.”

It is with this background that the Prime Minister stated that the region has a better chance of combatting and surviving the challenges by working closely together.

“This is why, therefore, we must take the necessary action to pursue vigorously those issues that would advance our integration movement. It is in our individual interest to act collectively. The helping hand and solidarity which we so willingly share in adversity must in the same spirit be extended to all other aspects of our integration.”

“We must prepare ourselves to confront this era of uncertainty in global affairs with a flexibility and innovativeness built on the solid platform of integration, economic co-operation, human and social development, security co-operation and foreign policy coordination. To do less would be to deny the people of our Community the opportunity of living in a viable, prosperous and safe society,” he warned.

Skerritt used the opportunity to thank CARICOM Heads for their concern following the “rebellious acts” in Dominica two Tuesday ago. “The situation at home, I can assure you, is under control and I expect that a thorough investigation will be carried out into those disturbances, with a view to bringing the perpetrators of any and all unlawful behaviour, to justice,” he assured. (JH)

Travel by Caribbean people to destinations within the region increased by an estimated 3.6% during 2016, the second consecutive year of growth.

Despite this positive result, the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) Performance of Tourism Industry Report 2016 observed that intra-regional travel remained costly with fragmented air service.

The report said that the bulk of the tourists visited the Dominican Republic, Trinidad & Tobago and Barbados, while robust growth was experienced in Guyana (39.1%), St. Vincent & the Grenadines (14.1%) and the Turks & Caicos Islands (13.5%).

Seven destinations did not improve upon last year’s performance and recorded decreases in the range of -2.5% in Trinidad & Tobago to -43.6% in Suriname.

The report revealed by CTO Secretary General, Hugh Riley also highlighted that in 2016, the US economy was relatively strong, unemployment fell, and consumer confidence was high, resulting in an increased appetite for outbound travel among Americans.

“The Caribbean’s share (9.8%) of the US outbound market was second only to Europe’s share (17.3%) but its growth rate was the slowest among all regions. This, notwithstanding, an estimated 14.6 million stay-over arrivals came from the Unites States, the top Caribbean source market, representing an annual growth rate of 3.5%. Notably, US arrivals grew at a faster rate (5.5%) in the third quarter than during any other quarter of the year,” according to the 2016 report.

The overall performance was a result of increases being recorded in 70.8% of the reporting destinations. Seven destinations recorded increases in excess of 10.0% within their reporting periods, which included Belize (18.3%), the Turks & Caicos Islands (16.1%), Bermuda (15.7%), Antigua & Barbuda (14.8%), Barbados (10.7%), Grenada (10.7%), and Montserrat (10.5%). Declines were recorded in six destinations some of which experienced a reduction in airlift from the US market.

Destination Canada reported that outbound, overnight international trips by Canadians contracted by -3.4% in the first eleven months of 2016.

The CTO reported that this was the culmination of a -7.3% decline in trips to the United States, as the Canadian currency weakened against the US dollar, while there was a 3.5% increase in arrivals to all other countries.

“For the region though, the weak Canadian dollar was the cornerstone of the uncharacteristically feeble performance, which plagued arrivals from this market in 2016”.

“The contraction in tourist visits for the year was estimated at around -3.4% compared to 2015, as tourist visits from the Canada numbered 3.3 million and contributed 11.3% of total arrivals to the Caribbean,” the report explained. (TL)

Parents of students attending the St. Michael School were given the opportunity to receive information from a trained professional on how to spot when and if their child suffers from depression.

Faye Wharton-Parris, president of the Parent-Teacher Association at the institution told parents on Thursday evening during the PTA that following the death of one of the teachers at the school, she realised that students proclaimed to be doing okay with the death but realised they were suffering on the inside. She mentioned that following her visit to the classrooms with a trained professional, she wondered whether or not parents were aware of the pain that the students were going through because they were close to said teacher.

“The depth of sadness and emotion that I saw that day had me thinking that the parents who do not know what their children are feeling are clearly at a disadvantage,” she said.

Wharton-Parris explained that parents are the ones that will give up their lives for their children and do anything possible to help them, but if they are unaware of the help that their children need, then they are clearly at a disadvantage.

Georgina Jarvis, who is interning at the institution as a counselling psychologist mentioned that there are six different depression disorders. Disruptive dysregulation disorder normally occurs in children up to the age of 12 who experience extreme behavioural disorders. Jarvis said that this condition does not always go away once the child reaches the age of 12, rather, it sometimes morphs into one of the other depressive disorders.

She went on to explain that major depression disorder is another depressive state, where the episode of depression continues for a period of two weeks, this sometimes recurs every few weeks and explained that persistent depression disorder persists for a full year and is usually brought about by the loss of a parent through separation or death.

Jarvis said that the fourth depressive state, premenstrual disorder should not be confused with PMS as it is a pretty intense depressive episode that occurs during ovulation every month and lasts for a few days. The other two depressive disorders are usually as a result of alcohol or prescribed drugs use and a medical condition.

The trained professional said that there are some differences in each of these disorders but there are also running similarities of feeling sad, empty, irritable, tired, restless or an inability to concentrate. She advised that if you realise that your child may be suffering from one of the depressive disorders that it would be wise to take them to a professional.

“This criterion is not complete but its enough to give you a sense that something may be wrong with your child and its time to seek professional help,” she said. (CLF)

President of the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) at the St. Michael School, Faye Wharton-Parris revealed that she was happy with the fundraising efforts of persons for the Bathroom Refurbishment Project of the institution.

During the PTA meeting that was held in the school’s hall, Wharton-Parris said that their Bingo fundraiser raised roughly $4 000 even though they did not have the same number of people that they had last year. She revealed that they will continue to look at and host other fundraising activities to fund the Bathroom Project as this is the major project of the PTA at the current moment.

The President explained that the girls’ bathroom had pull chain toilets, and although she considers these to be relatively good and sturdy toilets, the maintenance and finding the parts for these toilets proved to be a bit of a struggle as they are becoming more obsolete. She said that the principal, Yvette Mayers, Morris Clarke, an architect and parent of a past student, and herself did a walkthrough of the bathroom and have come to the conclusion that the toilets needed to be taken out and replaced with current toilets and pipes.

She divulged that Clarke will present them with a visual of the bathroom that adheres to the principal’s wishes but ultimately what they can afford. Wharton-Parris also said that this visual will give parents and persons at fundraisers a better image of what they are raising funds for.

She assured that they would be getting accurate costings for the bathroom refurbishment project so that they will be able to monitor their progress as well as make sure that the money that is raised is spent sensibly and ensure that they do not go over the budget.

She also announced that they had companies that were willing to help them with their project through donating tiles and other necessities and expressed that the project should come to fruition soon.

Barbados has ratified the Protocol Amending the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas to incorporate the Council for National Security and Law Enforcement (CONSLE) as an Organ of the Community, and the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) as an Institution of the Community.

Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Freundel Stuart, signed the Protocol and deposited the Instrument of Ratification on behalf of the Government of Barbados, during the first business session of the 28th Intersessional Meeting of the Conference of the Heads of Government of CARICOM in Guyana on Thursday.

Following the signing ceremony, Prime Minister Stuart told the Barbados Government Information Service that ratifying the Protocol was a symbol of the country’s commitment to ensuring the security of the region.

“Regional security is more than a matter of crime; it is also an issue of development. Without the proper strategies to combat and eliminate threats to our security, we run the risk of undermining any gains we have made in developing our respective countries,” Stuart stated.

The Council for National Security and Law Enforcement comprises Ministers designated by the CARICOM Member States. Under Article 17a of the Revised Treaty, it is responsible for promoting the development and implementation of a common regional security strategy to complement the national security strategies of Members of the Community.

Its mandate also includes giving policy and overall directions concerning the activities and programmes of IMPACS; and establishing and promoting initiatives to combat and eliminate threats to national and regional security.

The Protocol was adopted by the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM, and opened for signature at its Twenty-Seventh Inter-sessional Meeting in Belize in February 2016. It was signed at that meeting by the Prime Ministers of Dominica, Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

In addition, during the first business session, Jamaica’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, initialled the Amendment to Annex III of the Agreement Establishing the CARICOM Development Fund, and deposited its Instrument of Ratification to the Amendment. (KH/BGIS)

“He who thinks he is leading and no one is following, is only taking a walk”.

This was just one of the key statements about leadership that Apostle Elector Pearson, the Senior Pastor and Founder of Hope Church and a certified John Maxwell coach shared with members of the Barbados Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (BARAIFA), as they gathered for a conference on Friday at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre.

Pearson introduced members to a number of John Maxwell’s “leadership laws”, while citing him as “the number one leadership guru on the planet right now”. One key leadership law referred to was “The Law of the Lid”, where Pearson stressed the need for leaders to sharpen their leadership abilities, so that they can be much more effective.

“The Law of the Lid is increasingly important... leadership ability is the lid that determines a person’s level of effectiveness. The lower an individual’s ability to lead, the lower the lid on his potential. The higher the individual’s ability to lead, the higher the lid on his potential,” Pearson told those gathered.

He added, “Many people are trying to be successful, but their effectiveness is low, because their leadership ability is low. If you raise your leadership ability, with the same amount of effort, you can increase your effectiveness. For instance, if my leadership lid is a five, then I will attract threes and fours around me. If my leadership lid is an eight, I will attract six and sevens to me. You have to determine your level of leadership, because when you look around you, who is attracted to you, is based on your leadership ability,” the motivational speaker stressed.

He then asked the audience “How many of you have ever worked for a boss where your leadership ability was higher than his?”

This simple question certainly got the audience talking even more about the subject at hand.

Pointing out that persons can figure out what their leadership ability is on a scale of one to ten, by exploring 21 leadership qualities in Maxwell’s specific leadership survey, Pearson stressed that there is always room for growth.

“Things you can do to raise your lid? You can value experience with reflection, you can reflect on your day, reflect on how you dealt with clients and get better at it. You can invest in training. You can get mentorship, coaching. You can reflect on who has been a lid lifter in your life and what characteristics make them a lid lifter, and follow what they do, do what they do. Then make a “Stop Doing List”. There are some things that you are doing now, that you need to stop doing,” he said, while acknowledging that such things as being negative and procrastinating can be dropped.

While promoting the benefits of healthy living to the island’s workforce, the Barbados Workers Union is also doing what it can to encourage senior citizens to get in tip top shape.

Addressing the opening ceremony of the Healthy Living Project for the BWU’s Retirees at Solidarity House earlier this week, General Secretary Toni Moore said that the first-of-its-kind programme was created specifically for the 65 year and over demographic.

“We believe that this project when added to our ongoing programmes for our retirees, will assist them to live longer and enjoy a better quality of life,” she stated.

The project includes monthly sessions of exercise classes, health education and peer support to influence the establishment of health behaviors in our 65 year-plus retirees group with the aim of educating participants on benefits of healthy eating and physical activity and to explore attitudes towards the development of healthy behavior improvement.

Moore outlined that given the spiraling human and economic costs caused by the increases in non-communicable diseases like cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, for the past 20 years, the union has been in partnership with the Healthy Ministry through its Health Promotion Unit and Commission for Non-Communicable Diseases, to coordinate programs and workshops on a range of health promotion issues.

“We in the BWU do not regard NCDs in a void because we have lost a number of our staff and key members who have died from complications resulting from NCDs – so we are fully cognisant of the corrosive nature of these diseases and their burdensome human and money costs, resulting from illness, pain and suffering, lower limb amputations, loss of vision – particularly by diabetics, hospitalization, absences, presenteeism and death,” she stated.

She noted that while much of the efforts have been concentrated on the workforce, the benefits of creating programmes centre on the entire family setting could not be denied and as such the union’s focus had also turned to young workers and retirees.

A future goal of the union, she revealed, was to work within the schools. (JMB)

Students of the Fredrick Smith Secondary School were treated to an informed wellness session hosted by their peers who were champions and ambassadors of the Junior Wellness Programme.

During the launch of the programme that took place at the Fredrick Smith Secondary School yesterday afternoon, Dionne Licorish, Marketing Manager at Sandy Crest and Coverley Medical Centre, told the media that the wellness champions were children because they realised that students were more open to listening to vital information if it came from a person that they are able to quickly relate to. Yesterday these students shared information on how to be healthy and how to tend to the wellness of your body.

“We’re hoping that by using this forum and using their own colleagues, that maybe they will open up to the idea of wellness so that when we officially bring the programme into the schools, they will be more open and willing to participate,” she said.

The Marketing Manager explained that they partnered with St. James Parish Committee as a part of their 50th Anniversary celebrations last year to form the Junior Wellness Programme and thought that it would be a good idea to extend it to the children of primary and secondary schools and give them the opportunity to learn about their health. She said that they decided not to focus on the usual age group that suffer from non-communicable diseases but to start at a younger age group as a preventative measure.

Licorish explained that the youth group of wellness ambassadors have undergone training in areas such as CPR, cooking healthy meals, making smoothies and getting a general idea of what it means to be healthy. She added that the children were not only given information on physical wellness, but the programme took into consideration the five or six other aspects of wellness which included emotional, spiritual and intellectual wellness.

She revealed that they would have visited other schools in St. James spreading the message and expressed that the students were excited and open about the whole ordeal. She divulged that the response they received from the students was extremely encouraging and noted that they had other plans in mind so that they remain active and invested in the health of the primary and secondary school students.

Barbadians and tourists turned out in their numbers on Friday night to witness the Chefette Restaurants’ Grand Floodlit Tattoo.

Under a starry sky, persons gathered at the Trents Playfield in St. James viewed exciting displays by the cheerleading squad, Twisters All Star Gym Barbados. Routines were also executed by various units of the Royal Barbados Police Force (RBPF). These presentations were by the Mounted Troop, the Tactical Response Unit and the Drill Squad.

The Baton Swingers, which comprise 32 recruits of the Regional Police Training Centre, also took to the field during this anticipated and enjoyable event of the 40th annual Holetown Festival. While holding lighted torches, they thrilled the audience with the formations made.

Similarly, giving an excellent performance was the Motorcycle Corp of the RBPF. This group gave the audience an idea of how fast their motorbikes can go. Additionally, they showcased skill and precision as they created the figure eight, did a circle within a circle among other manoeuvres.

The large audience did not hesitate to offer loud applauds following the crime simulation by the Special Services and the Caine Unit of the RBPF. They also showed appreciation for the presentation by the RBPF Band. Led by Drum Major, Inspector David Codrington, they played local selections including Lead Pipe and Saddis’ Ah Feeling, Hypasounds’ Sugar Rush, Nikita’s Tequila and Merrymen’s Matilda. Songs like El Abanico, Abide With Me and C.L.A.M.E to Fame were also heard on the night.

Pausing briefly from watching the activities which occurred centre stage, individuals took a night-time strolled along different sections of the field. While doing this, stops were made to purchase a variety of food and drinks.

Glow-in-the-dark and colourful light-up toys were a hit with the children.(MG)

The Barbados Water Authority will be getting a much needed cash injection later this year to the tune of a US$35 million loan from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).

The loan was approved in mid-December 2015, and according to the CDB’s Projects Department’s Director Daniel Best, would see its first disbursement before the end of June.

Aimed at improving the overall supply infrastructure, the projects aim at implementing measures to reduce non-revenue water, replace and refurbish reservoirs and improve the aging infrastructure of the authority.

During the question-and-answer segment of the CDB’s annual press conference on Friday at its Wildey headquarters, Best outlined that the CDB had been in recent talks with the new management of the state-owned water corporation to determine how the implementation of the loan can be advanced.

“The procurement of engineering services under that initiative has commenced and the consultants should be engaged very early in the second quarter of this year and we anticipate that civil works under this initiative will commence later this year,” he added.

In addition, he said that the US$7.5 million also approved in 2015 to shore up the Student Revolving Loan Fund and improve its sustainability.
“We have been in discussions with the Government of Barbados and we anticipate a disbursement on the Student Revolving Loan Fund should occur very early in the second quarter. So the dialogue between the CDB and the various agencies in which we operate has been ongoing,” Best assured. (JMB)

A number of young professionals are showing great interest in the Barbados Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (BARAIFA) and they are signing up for membership in an effort to build their careers in the insurance field.

First Vice President of BARAIFA, Timothy Nicholls acknowledged the above as he spoke with the Barbados Advocate during a break from the Association’s conference, which was held on Friday in the Marigold Room of the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre.

Nicholls, while speaking of the great interest shown in the Association, also registered his delight with the fact that a number of these young professionals are now well qualified on the academic side, to advance in the field.

“I must say unequivocally, yes ( they are showing great interest). As a matter of fact, if you do a cross survey of the young professionals here, most of them have degrees, which is very noteworthy (because this was not so much the case in the past, where people) had degrees in selling insurance,” Nicholls remarked.

“When I see application forms coming to us for membership and I see their qualifications, most of them have degrees and some of them have Masters, so it is a job now that is really not frowned upon, but looked upon as a job or rather, looked upon as a career of success and of total importance. Young professionals, they are are really, really excited about this career,” Nicholls added.

Nicholls meanwhile stated that the conference was being held to motivate young agents, so they could do well in their field.

“We have a lot of new agents who are young and really vibrant and interested in making this a career and that is why we are here. We the folks want to ensure that they stay on the beaten path, on the track of integrity, on the tract to doing all the right things, because we want to make sure that this career is a very noble career and it is one that when we are gone, that it remains intact and on track,” Nicholls said.

ONCE everything goes according to plan, the Inclusive Play project, a playground for persons with disabilities, is expected to be completed within six to eight months.

This is according to President of the Rotary Club of Barbados South, Trevor Sealy, who spoke to The Barbados Advocate after the first half of the fund-raising concert, entitled ‘Caribbean Excellence’, which was held for this initiative on Saturday night at the Frank Collymore Hall.

“Completion would be finished within six to eight months of the start date, but the start date is dependent on certain things being put in place. When we have the documentation in hand, we would be able to speak to that, but we would love to be able to start within the next few months.”

He said that they already have all of the equipment in place and what they are waiting on now is for some final documentation and other things to be finalised.

“We have all of the equipment already. Right now we are working on the lease because it is a lease by the Government to the Rotary Club, so all of that documentation has to be in place first. However the equipment is already here, so we just have to put up the physical plant, which is the building, the structure and so on. That should not take more than six to eight months to complete. Once we can break ground, no more than six to eight months.”

This facility will be located at the Garfield Sobers Gymnasium, Sealy continued. “It started about four years ago. It is a play park for the differently-abled people; those who are both physically and mentally challenged. It will be located at the Wildey Gymnasium Complex in that area. So it is a work in progress. We are just waiting on the regulatory stuff to be finished and we should be able to start.”

He said that he is not sure about the exact square footage, but it will be big enough to accommodate what they are aiming to do with this play park.

“It will be indoors and outdoors. There will be some office space; there will be some bathroom facilities and that sort of thing, but it is basically an outdoor facility. I am not sure as to the square footage, but it will be enough to support what we want to do – things that are specific in design for differently-abled people because you know you cannot have a regular swing [for example] because those who are physically disabled will not be able to use one. So the equipment is specifically designed with that in mind.”

The Rotary South President stated that they still need support and this support can be financial. He also encouraged persons to lend a hand, especially if they have a family member, friend or just know someone who is differently-abled.

He added that they decided to target this group because there are already play parks for able-bodied persons, but none for the differently-abled people. The play park will be managed by qualified staff and it will be open seven days a week.

CHIEF Executive Officer of the Barbados Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (BADMC), Shawn Tudor, says he is optimistic about the future of agriculture in Barbados and the developmental role that the corporation will continue to play.

His comments came recently as he highlighted some of the gains of the BADMC, which he says despite some challenges over the last year and a half, 45 Barbadians were taken out of employment and as December 31, 2016 the corporation was in a stronger financial position than the previous year.

According to Tudor, “We have bought several thousand kilograms worth of produce from farmers that otherwise would not have had that opportunity. We have distinguished ourselves as the leading centre for food innovation in the country. We have come up with several new products, especially value-added products from cassava,” he reported.

The CEO revealed that during the hectic Christmas season, the BADMC had to bring on persons to work two shifts in order to meet the demands for the value-added products, including the Blackbelly lamb ham and the beef ham. “We couldn’t get enough to sell,” he mused.

As the corporation seeks to expand its operations, Tudor also revealed that a cassava processing mill from Colombia will soon be received. “So that we can process as much as a 1 000 kg of flour per shift. That mill can also process sweet potato and breadfruit and we will do all of those as well,” he assured.

He said this is one of the attempts being taken to be innovative and respond to the market, with the view of adding value. “A lot of innovation going on, and that innovation is bearing fruit; in terms of revenue, in terms of employing Barbadians.”

Saying that some persons are of the view that the BADMC is competing with the private sector, he disagreed, saying the corporation is taking produce from Barbadian farmers who otherwise would not have a market for their goods. “We take the produce, employ Barbadian people to add value to these products and then have others sell them in our Carmeta’s shops across the range of supermarkets. When you say we are competing with the private sector... I know we are adding value to products,” he countered. (JH)

Barbadians have long been crying out for housing and a Government official is adamant that the local landscape can meet most if not all of those needs, without taking anymore agricultural land out of production.

Chief Town Planner (CTP), Mark Cummins, has disclosed that there are almost 23 000 vacant residential lots in this country, and based on the 2010 Population and Housing Census 14 per cent of the 91 000-strong housing stock is either derelict or unoccupied.

“When you take the number of vacant lots and then you take the over 10 000 houses that are either derelict or vacant; some could be in transition if they are being rented, so let’s say that represents 50 per cent, we would still have 5 000 to 6 000 within the housing stock in Barbados which are derelict or unoccupied, which can provide much needed housing solutions,” he said in an interview with The Barbados Advocate.

Cummins added, “The other critical thing is those houses are all in areas where the services are already available, developers or the Government in some instances, would have provided the necessary infrastructure to serve those houses which are now vacant. So what we have said is rather than converting agricultural land, try to put a programme in place to bring some of those derelict and unoccupied buildings back into use to provide housing solutions.”

Meanwhile, the CTP said they appreciate that the close to 23 000 vacant lots are owned by numerous persons, but primarily Barbadians living abroad, and he said it is imperative that those landowners are encouraged to allow a large percentage of those lots back on the market, to also help address the housing challenge.

“What we have also done, is we have gone in and put in electricity, we have put in water. We’ve asked the Barbados Water Authority to run its distribution system through all of these areas because if John decides tomorrow, or Jane that he or she wants to build a house, they are supposed to go to the Water Authority, produce a plan, pay $400 and they have a water connection. Now John or Jane may not do that for 15 years, but Water Authority still has to make sure water is in those lines. Think of that water not having to be in those lines, but being in another place for use,” the Town and Country Planning official stated.

Questioned then as to whether he anticipates seeing more applications for high-rise housing solutions as opposed to single dwelling houses going forward to meet the housing demand, given the country’s limited land mass, the CTP said it is possible and indeed necessary, but he noted that the current uptake of the high-rise option has been slow. Cummins revealed that the Physical Development Plan currently in use makes provision for residential high-rise development, but said regrettably only the State-owned National Housing Corporation has made use of it.

“So we have Valerie, we have Grotto and there are some others they have on stream. The private sector argues that Barbadians do not like to live in that type of environment, where a person may live on a sixth, or seventh or eighth floor. In my view it will definitely have to change, particularly in the urban corridor because 66 per cent of us live in the urban corridor. So we will see private sector entities utilise that form of vertical development because of the restrictions of horizontal development, in that they will no longer be able to convert large tracts of agricultural land,” he said. (JRT)