Under Canada’s “PROPEL” Project, farmers in Barbados will be producing more onions to sell to supermarkets and also for use in the tourism sector.
The above was revealed by Project Facilitator Micah Gittens, during the recently held national agricultural exhibition-Agrofest. Canada’s PROPEL Project is one which sees farmers in Barbados and other eastern Caribbean countries obtaining support to increase the quality and quantity of fresh locally grown fruits and vegetables and subsequently, broadening links with buyers. PROPEL is an acronym that stands for – Promotion of Regional Opportunities for Produce through Enterprises and Linkages and the project has been implemented through the World University Service of Canada.

Gittens told The Barbados Advocate that via PROPEL, a number of crops are being promoted to increase food security in the region and of late, efforts are on to increase the yields with regards to Irish potatoes, but more specifically, onions.
“We have a number of farmers on the project, some are youth-based, some are females, but the majority are established farmers. We provide them with inputs, and we also have support from the Ministry of Agriculture, as well as the Barbados Agricultural Society, to try to increase the yield of onions,” he said.

“We have partnering on the project, two buyers – the BHTA (Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association) and Massy Stores, who will be purchasing the onions on that project,” Gittens further revealed.

CEO of the Barbados Agricultural Society (BAS), James Paul, also gave a bit more details about the PROPEL Project in relation to boosting onion production.

“The PROPEL Project is something that we started long ago, but in a sense, we only got it fully christened last year. This is a project where right now, we are trying to increase onion production in Barbados. Right now we have about 15 farmers involved in the project. We are going to facilitate them in terms of cultivation. They are going to receive seeds, they are going to receive the farming inputs and the objective is that we want to increase onion production, where we are trying to develop a value chain in which we have [entities] like Massy supermarket, who have actually volunteered and we have other supermarkets who are part of the programme,” Paul indicated.

“We are going to help them with the agronomy, to make sure that the crop that they are going to plant, is going to have a reasonable chance of success,” Paul concluded.

MORE financial assistance is coming to this country’s small and medium-sized enterprises (MSME).

Fund Access, a Government lending agency, has received an additional $10 million in funding to assist the growth of the MSME sector by way of various loans and grant financing.

In the 2016 Budgetary Proposals, the Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Christopher Sinckler, announced that a special fund capitalised to the tune of $50 million was to be created for the purpose of providing a blend of grant and soft loans to fund this sector.

The announcement of the $10 million capital injection was made on Monday night by Donville Inniss, Minister of Industry, International Business, Commerce and Small Business Development.

Inniss spoke at a Barbados Small Business Association’s meeting at Bagnall’s Point Gallery, Pelican Village.

He warned the eager small business owners, however, that “this will be no slush fund”.

“Before individuals rush to Fund Access expecting to collecting cash or cheques, please note that I have directed the Board of Fund Access to exercise best management practices and business support policies in determining loans or grants to be disbursed,” Inniss advised.

“This is money that has been raised from taxpayers of this island and I will not be part of any regime that wastes such funds,” he stated.

The Minister pointed out that for those who are looking for grants, his position as Minister is that people have to move away from a grant mentality in this island.

He further noted that there is a significant cost to financing and “if you wish funds to invest in a business because you intend to make a success of that business, well then be prepared to accept the cost of that finance and be prepared to share some of your revenue with the lender”.

The Minister added that, “If we aggressively pursue a policy of primarily grants, then we will soon find that there is nothing left to provide for others who may be in need. So let us not get greedy here.”

Fund Access, Inniss explained, is finalising its new grant financing policies. He met with the Chairman and CEO of Fund Access last week and indicated that Fund Access’ Board is to urgently give positive consideration to increasing its loan limit from $100 000 per applicant to $150 000.

“Furthermore, Fund Access will shortly agree and provide loans with more flexible interest rates and other terms that ought to be of great assistance to members of the small business sector,” Inniss said.

The Minister expects that the agency will soon be announcing the details of such loans, their basic terms and guiding principles.

According to Inniss, “Between 1998 and 2016 Fund Access approved 1 706 loans for an amount totalling $51 million. I therefore expect that there will be a significant increase in loans over the next year.”

Increased funding potential is useless unless we are able to have a faster turnaround in the processing of loans by Fund Access, Inniss said, while also explaining that they are instituting the necessary upgrades to technology, as well as strengthening staff to give effect to such.

He said that Fund Access cannot and will not seek to replace or compete with the commercial banks in respect of commercial loans as the agency’s role is perhaps more developmental in nature.

It was also revealed that two weeks ago he met with the Chairmen and management of the Fund Access, the Department of Commerce, The Fair Trading Commission and the Barbados National Institute, “who are all part of my Ministry, to review with the Barbados Investment and Development Corporation improved accommodation for staff at these key agencies. If our staff are not provided with safe and clean work environments, then we cannot expect them to adequately serve the public”.

His Ministry also views the Small Business Association to be a vital partner in the development of this sector and therefore expects that businesses will work closely with Fund Access to enhance access to financing.

In addition, he hopes that they will continue to engage in the training and development of projects for this sector, that state agencies may direct clients and potential members to Fund Access and that they can continue to collaborate on policies as well as programmes to grow and diversify this sector.

The Minister further explained that the remainder of money will be allocated over time and he did stress gone are the days of waiting forever to know if one is approved, while noting that he is optimistic about the small business sector that has saved the economy in the past.

Governor General of Barbados, His Excellency Sir Elliott Belgrave, paid a visit to the Maria Holder Nursery School at Gall Hill yesterday.

As he greeted Principal Olwin Walker, staff, students and specially invited guests in the auditorium of the newly-built educational institution located at Church Hill Road, Gall Hill, Christ Church, he thanked them for hosting him and noted his appreciation for the entertainment delivered by both staff and pupils in his honour.

He, however, explained that while he was successful in visiting all primary schools under his special schools’ programme which came to an end last year, he was simply paying a special visit to the nursery school and was not embarking on a new programme for nursery schools, as some persons might conclude.

“As you know, I visited all the primary schools in Barbados and I am pleased at this stage (to have done so). This is the first nursery school that I am visiting, (but) I don’t want the principals of nursery schools to think that I am embarking on (a new programme), because I am not physically able to do that. This is a one-off thing,” Sir Elliott commented.

He meanwhile noted that he had to come and see the work being put in by the staff at the new school, under the leadership of Principal Walker, whom he commended for doing a great job, even in her former post as Principal of the Blackman and Gollop Primary School.

During the official visit, students delivered a special piece entitled “Welcome Your Excellency” and one of the Governor General’s favourite songs, “The Ashgrove”, was rendered by the principal and members of staff, accompanied by Hashim Durant on steel pan. Nursery pupil, Arielle Selman, later presented him with a special gift, after which Sir Elliott engaged in a meet and greet for the benefit of staff, students and specially invited guests. (RSM)

Carib Rehab Ltd. is giving back to its customers.

Yesterday, the leading supplier of rehabilitation and home care products in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean for the past 27 years, officially launched two Loyalty Cards at its Friendship Plantation, Hothersal Turning store.

Cardholders will receive one stamp at the back of their card for every $50 spent at any one time on support hosiery or incontinence products.

Fiona Bethell, Administration Officer at Carib Rehab, further explained that on making eight purchases of support hosiery, SUPPORT HOSIERY Loyalty Cardholders will receive $25 off the ninth. Eligible items include all compression socks, stockings and anti-embolism stockings with the exception of custom orders.

Also, when WEE CARE CLUB Loyalty Cardholders make eight purchases of incontinence products, they get $25 off the ninth. Eligible items include inco pads, briefs, pull-ups, liners, urinary drainage bags, urinary catheters and colostomy products.

“We want to give back to our customers. We are finding that these are the products that our customers spend the most money on, so we want to bring a little bit more value to it for them,” Bethell told The Barbados Advocate.

“We find that normally someone who is a pensioner purchases such products and they are repeat customers… We want to make sure that we are there for them and keep them happy.”

Carib Rehab is also keeping customers informed by providing literature on some of the products they use. (TL)

THE Bridgetown Port has undergone significant changes over the years to meet the needs of a largely consuming country.

Speaking in the Lower Chamber yesterday on a $50 million supplementary, Minister of Tourism Richard Sealy said that these changing needs, along with growth expected in the construction sector, will see an even greater demand going forward.

“We have to accept that there is a need to increase capacity. The levels of economic activity have increased and will continue to increase.”

“The reality is if you are going to have rooms under construction and rooms to be constructed and numbers growing, you need to have capacity. The physical capacity so we can continue to accommodate large cargo vessels.”

Giving an example of one of the major changes seen in the Port, Sealy noted that in 2012 -2013 there were 71 000 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units coming into the island. He revealed that number has climbed to 90 000 in 2015-16, and expects that it will continue to climb.

Sealy also stressed the importance of building out the island’s potential as a transshipment hub, which he says fits in with building a services-based economy. “Transshipment activity in the last eight years has moved from 95 000 (in) 2008-2009 to 164 000 tonnes (in) 2015-2016.”

“That is good news for a port that has never really focused on transshipment opportunities. If you look at what is happening in the region… now that we are effectively going after it in a serious way, we can benefit form the expansion of the Panama Canal and increased levels of activity in the region,” he said.

“The transshipment element is something we can work on and we must work on going forward. Berth 5 allows us to look at that as well, and see the potential that we can realise from that element.

Sealy stated that in completing Berth 5, they were also able to carry out 30 berths contained in the $64 million budget. This he said would accommodate more yachts and day-trippers, which he noted is a rapidly growing element of the tourism offering of the island.

“30 berths in the shallow draught in addition to the 30 in the inner basin of the Careenage – even though the Pierhead project is still in train – we at least have berths 60 berths that we didn’t have before that we can now in essence go after yachting tourism,” he said.

The Minister said it is fair to say that the new berth has already started to show tangible benefits in cruise, cargo, transshipment, all of which have shown growth.
“These aren’t projections. I am not predicting or anticipating or hoping. We are seeing the increases. And that is why I am so comfortable in saying this is indeed a worthwhile investment by the government and people of Barbados.” These are not times where debt is anything you should engage in lightly. So when Central Government takes $50 million, we have to be satisfied the returns are there for Barbados,” he said. (JH)

Within six months, the National Wellness Policy that has been in the works since 2016 is expected to be completed and implemented.

This was revealed by the General Secretary of the Barbados Workers’ Union, Toni Moore, as she gave her morning remarks on the second day of the Week of Excellence Workshop, which was held at Solidarity House yesterday.

Under the theme “Improving Public Sector Productivity of Awareness, Initiative and Actioning”, Moore revealed that yesterday’s workshop was of special significance as they planned to make speedy progress on the proposed National Wellness Policy for Barbados.

“You will recall we started this journey at last year’s Week of Excellence Programme and it is our intention, with your solid support, that we conclude this policy by mid-year,” she said.

Minister of Labour, Social Security and Human Resource Development, Sen. Dr. the Honourable Esther Byer Suckoo, expressed that a national policy may seem a little drastic, but the way non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are affecting Barbadians and having an impact on the healthcare bill, and the spending of the National Insurance on sick leave and sickness policy, are causes of concern. She noted that this also affects the level of productivity and GDP of the island and revealed that the workplace wellness programmes that will be birthed as a result of the policy can help the workforce become healthier and fitter and benefit the island in the long run.

The General Secretary went on to urge persons present to remember to address the needs of every employee in the wellness programmes and reminded them that they were writing a policy that should help working families to balance work, family commitments, and work around childcare or elderly care.

She also added that the Union was of the opinion that policies should meet the needs of other issues as well, such as the needs of menopausal women and other biological issues that women face. She expressed that some of these issues are still taboo in Barbados but they are issues that the Barbados Workers’ Union have had to deal with.

“We are living in the 21st century and we must make attempts to meet the needs of not just parts of our workforce, but the entire workforce,” she concluded.

OPPOSITION Shadow Minister of Tourism Ronald Toppin has lambasted Government yesterday, stating that the Berth 5 Project at the Bridgetown Port was awarded to a company, without soliciting bids and without a tendering process.

His comments came against the backdrop of a $50 million supplementary in the Lower Chamber on Tuesday. Calling for transparency, he also charged that while that project was being executed, another project, in the form of a yacht facility was also embarked upon using the same contractor, without invitation to tender for the sum of $14 million.

“What is wrong with everybody else? Where is the transparency,” he charged.

Saying he was informed that Sealy was scheduled to meet with the taxi operators yesterday, Toppin suggested that taxi drivers in the Bridgetown Port have to settle for “crumbs”, after the bigger tour operators take the visitors from the Port on pre-arranged visits, which he said are made possible through their attendance to large tourism conferences. In response, Minister of Tourism Richard Sealy said unlike what Toppin was purporting, he was not scheduled to meet with taxi drivers yesterday, he actually met with them on Monday. He noted that President of the Independent Seaport Taxi Operators, Anthony Eastmond, and head of the Bridgetown Port Taxi Co-op Society Ltd, Charles Layne, would be shortly attending the Seatrade Cruise Global networking event, for the first time. The Minister lamented that he would not be able to attend because of the Estimates.

Sealy explained that because of the structure of the cruise industry one has to be a part of the Shore Excursion Programme. “We have to work with the co-ops now to get them on that programme.”

He also expressed a commitment to make the necessary adjustments requested by the operators including two parking areas inside the Port.

The Tourism Minister said that with the increased cruise passenger, many taxi operators are getting work. “That is why we can’t ask them to ferry passengers from the ship to the gate. They don’t want to do that. They want to do island tours, Bridgetown tours.”

“Yes, on busy cruise days they are good, but we have to make sure through shore excursion activity that they will get more of the action. So we are working with them,” he assured. (JH)

The Physical Development Plan (PDP) 2017 (Draft) is taking a serious look at ways to solve traffic congestion issues, protect agricultural land, and how to build the island’s resilience for adaptation to climate change.

Speaking at one of a series of six scheduled community meetings on the Physical Development Plan amendment which has been in the works over the past year, Anna Iannucci of Urban Strategies Inc, a company which is working with the Town & Country Developing Planning Office on the project, said the Plan is an opportunity to introduce transformational and foundational change to the island and to address key developing issues the country has been facing over the years.

The urban planner explained during the event held at Queen’s College on Tuesday evening, that one of the ways in which the traffic congestion concern must be tackled is through changing the mindset of Barbadians, as it relates to the ways they move around the island.

“We are introducing a focus on mobility and accessibility, so rather than trying to get cars around, we are trying to get people around by different modes of transportation. So we can use cars, but also public transportation as well as walking and cycling as forms of transportation,” she said.

Iannucci also pointed out that while the Plan was also designed to introduce the concept of healthy and complete communities through the reduction of Non Communicable Diseases, promoting active transportation and encouraging Barbadians to eat healthy local foods will assist in this effort.

“Another plan is definitely protecting agricultural lands. The background analysis shows that it’s quite an alarming rate at which the agriculture land has been lost, either to conversion to other uses or allowed to go to the bush. We are trying to recognise that agricultural land is where you produce food for Barbados and how you create food security and food sovereignty for Barbados. You spend a huge amount of foreign exchange on importing food into Barbados and that puts you at great risk if ever something should happen to the international food system. So we are looking at agricultural land as an irreplaceable resource because once you have lost it to urban development, it’s gone,” she said.

The PDP amendment creates a contemporary policy framework to guide land use, development and infrastructure decisions in a manner that promotes sustainability and resiliency across the island. (AH)

There is a Wellness Policy in the works, says Minster of Labour and Social Security, Dr. Esther Byer-Suckoo, which will encourage business places to adopt wellness programmes.

Suckoo was speaking at an informative workshop hosted by Pharma Wellness International at the Diabetes Foundation. C.E.O of the organisation, Lennox Pollard, also addressed some members of the Workplace Wellness Programme to give an idea of what the programme included and some of the positive results already attained by those companies involved. With this new knowledge given to businesses already enrolled, they have seen healthier employees, reduced health care and insurance costs, reduced absenteeism, reduced sick leave and in turn better productivity.

Suckoo’s featured address lauded the Wellness Programme and the efforts of those behind the initiative. She stated that the increased productivity due to the attention paid to wellness in an organisation has been tested and proven time and time again and that plans were in the works for a wellness policy to be brought to the forefront. One of her main points was the fact that people do not understand the cost involved in the care of non-communicable diseases and the fatalistic mentality that people tend to have regarding their health.

“Some people believe that it is in their genes and that certain things are unavoidable. They say, my mother and father died from it so why bother,” she stated while noting that persons need to understand that it is not a death sentence and it can be controlled and reversed.

The senator also mentioned the scare in recent years of young persons who have died suddenly and said that it has been shown that they have been associated with non-communicable diseases and the climbing rate. Another point which hit home to many of the audience was a popular Bajan mentality of ‘not wanting to know’, which was the thought process that actually caused more harm than good.

“Contrary to what we like to believe as Barbadians, what we do not know will not hurt you? That is actually not true. Not knowing that you have diabetes and hypertension can hurt you and hurt you even more. In fact not knowing stops you from taking control and improving the situation,” she stated.

There is a fear of people, especially for young people of going to the doctor, the excuses of being too young to go and feeling ‘fine’ are used to explain not going to be checked. The first step of getting checked and then scheduled visits to see progress must be a priority and if it can be started in the workplace with positive peer pressure, the rate of non-communicable diseases can be slowed and these diseases can be avoided or reversed.

“The beauty of Workplace Wellness, is that it is a team approach to wellness and it puts the patients at the centre. It is a regimen of diet and exercise, not just medication and shows that you as the individual can be in control and not just doctor controlled,” she explained.

This team motivation creates a positive environment in the office and understanding of the cost of healthcare helps workers see where money goes. However, all the plans by the government and the programmes presented to businesses by Pharma Wellness Inc., the onus is still in the hands of the individual businesses to get on board and more importantly the individual persons to be empowered.
(AS)

On Tuesday, the Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados (CTUSAB) launched a year-long project focused on workers with disabilities, to coincide with the Month of the Disabled.

General Secretary of CTUSAB, Dennis de Peiza, explained that the programme – which is under the theme "Employment of Workers with Disabilities"– is a collaborative initiative with the Barbados National Association of the Disabled (BARNOD), National Disability Unit (NDU) and the Barbados Council for the Disabled (BCD).

He noted that CTUSAB has also proposed to work in collaboration with the stakeholders in promoting the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, with emphasis being placed on the areas of education and awareness.

As a social partner, de Peiza said the CTUSAB is strongly committed to working with government agencies and local non-governmental organisations in promoting the advancement and empowerment of workers with disabilities.

"As an outcome of this project, it is our expectation that there will be greater acceptance, engagement and empowerment of all persons with disabilities, and in so doing, lead to workers with disabilities being given equal opportunity to develop their skills and talents, and to access promotional opportunities in the workplace, without prejudice or reservation," said de Peiza.

During his press statement, the General Secretary advocated for training and employment support for the disabled in the private and public sector.

"These workers ought not to be discriminated against when seeking employment, or denied promotional opportunities because of perceived notions that employers and/or human resource managers may have," he urged.

The view of training workers with disabilities was supported by the Barbados Council for the Disabled's Operations Manager, Mrs. Roseanna Tudor. She expressed the need for sensitivity training for the rest of the workers on how to relate to staff and clients with disabilities.

Ms Tudor shared her appreciation for the initiative, and for the CTUSAB reaching out to the disabled organisations and communities.

President of BARNOD, Colbert Ashby, also expressed his gratitude to CTUSAB for their project.

One of the first events for the year will be a workshop under the theme, “Empowering and Engaging Workers with Disabilities”, to be held on Tuesday April 11, 2017.

The participants for this workshop will be drawn from a target group which includes managers, human resource managers, personnel managers and supervisors from the private and public sector. At the end of the month, there will be a Fun and Health Walk to be staged on National Heroes Day, April 28, 2017.

During summer season, a National Symposium is scheduled for July 13 & 14 with a focus on workers with disabilities.

The year of activities will culminate with a “Workers with Disabilities” showcase to be held in November.

The most important drivers of performance, apart from wages and salaries, are employee satisfaction and morale.

Insisting that public service management pay close attention to these, President of the Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados (CTUSAB), Cedric Murrell, said that ways had to be looked at in improving the overall performance of the sector. He identified that a good starting point was to address the current human resources management practices and place greater emphasis on non-monetary incentives.

“At a time where there is much concern about the size of the public service, it is to be accepted that there is a need for some adjustments. The adoption of a policy of right-sizing will have impact, if it also includes retooling and multi-skilling of public sector employees,” he added.

Delivering remarks at the Central Bank’s Grande Salle at the launch of the Week of Excellence, Murrell stated that improvements in Public Sector Productivity would more likely be achieved when there was a radical change to the systems, processes and practices that are now engaged.

“The responsibility lies with the Public Sector to enhance service delivery, to achieve seamless delivery of services, to increase customer satisfaction and to reduce costs. There is also a need to replace traditional outmoded practices and procedures with simplified ones, remove overlapping and duplication where it exists,
increase public accountability, encourage more data sharing across ministries, departments and agencies, and upgrade public sector training to improve and enhance leadership development,” he stressed.

Admitting that Barbados’ issue was one of implementation, Murrell urged that the example set by Malaysia be drawn upon, including its specific calls for establishing dedicated project teams across ministries and agencies to enhance policy coordination and supervision and monitoring of projects to ensure timely completion.

The CTUSAB head added that the time has come for the introduction of performance measurement on a wider scale in the public sector. (JMB)

WITH the Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure to be laid in the House of Assembly next week, and the debate on them the following week, interest will be on how far Government has gone about lowering the troubling fiscal deficit.

Finance and Economic Affairs Minister, Christopher Sinckler, said that by the time he presents the Estimates, he hopes to report that the deficit target of 5.5 per cent will be met. His strategy in brining the deficit down has been a mixture of expenditure cuts and increasing revenue.

He said Government agreed that the deficit of eight per cent of GDP at March last year was too high.

“So we introduced additional measures in the 2016 Financial Statement and Budgetary proposals to close the gap…” he reported.

“We may even be able to report a small primary surplus as well,” he said.

At the end of December last year the fiscal deficit was about 7.2 per cent of GDP, having fallen from the eight per cent at the end of March 2016.

The Minister said that despite registering some successes, it is clear that the fiscal deficit and its financing continues to be a major challenge for the Barbados economy, and we must find the most humane and least disruptive ways of further reducing the fiscal deficit. (JB)

Having a heart of humility in these modern times is difficult for many, as we live in a world consumed by vanity and where people often boast about their achievements or good deeds.

This is according to Archbishop of the West Indies & Bishop of Barbados, The Most Reverend and The Hon Dr. John Holder, who was addressing the annual Ash Wednesday Service held yesterday morning at the St. Michael’s Cathedral.

However, he expressed that the season of Lent calls for us to reflect on our human qualities. He explained that God calls for us to have hearts of compassion, forgiveness and love. He also noted that if we are to follow the way of God or find our way to God, the most important quality we should have is the ability to be humble.

He said that this quality is a hard one for persons to cultivate because we live in an age where people want their “good acts” advertised, but this goes against the word of God. Dr Holder pointed out that the Bible calls for us to remain humble in our giving.

Making reference to Matthew chapter six verses one through six, Bishop Holder said, “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets to be honoured by others”, noting that this piece of advise reminds us that we have to be humble when we give to the needy or do good acts.

He said the Bible also points out that once this is done, and persons give to the needy or do acts of good without the intention of being awarded by humans, God will thus reward you even greater than man.

“Christians should remember to practice humility,” he reiterated.

While it is important that Barbados pays strict and undivided attention to excellence in the tourism sector, which is the island’s breadbasket, excellence must pervade every aspect of society.

This is the view of the Principal of the Frank Walcott Labour College, Doreen Deane, who also stressed that the Barbados Workers’ Union always placed significance on personal excellence because it must begin with the individual.

She was delivering remarks yesterday at the Mangrove, St Philip-based Labour College, at the opening of the third day in the five-day series of workshops, being organised by the Social Partners to celebrate the 2017 Week of Excellence.

Deane noted that how employees conduct transactions with customers will boil down to how they wish to position themselves in the eyes of those whom they serve and with whom they work.

She said employees should always ask themselves if they wish to be regarded as louts, or be seen in a positive and excellent light.

“We in the Barbados Workers’ Union believe that we should seek always to give of our best. We certainly do not ask you, whether you are a barman, waiter, customs officer, or immigration officer, to play act – that is to grin and smile merely to make visitors feel welcome. We ask you to always give the best of yourselves to whomever you may come into contact. Be your good selves,” she urged.

“Customer service is the support you offer your customers – whether your customers are visitors to the island or local shoppers, both before and after they buy your product – that helps your customers to have an easy and enjoyable experience with you. Please remember that you represent a brand, the Barbados brand, and whether you are serving a visitor to Barbados or a local shopper, your attitude, your behaviour, will determine how that customer reflects on the Barbados brand.

“Your approach as you serve your customers can have a significant impact on issues such as the bottom line of your organisation and your country. The other impacts include the reputation of your business and your country, as well as the competition they may get from other enterprises and countries,” she added.

The principal said while the focus of the workshop was on customer service and HIV/AIDS, just last month a report released by the HIV/AIDS Commission read the sexual behaviour of men continue to be a worry for the Commission which has sees the need to continue its Man Aware Showcase. The Commission has noted that research has shown that men did not use condoms consistently, had multiple sex partners, that consistent condom use was higher with non-regular partners and more than 30 percent of the male population had never tested for HIV. In addition, the knowledge of sexually transmitted infections was moderate and many men did not seek medical attention, but self-medicated.

“The foregoing revelation by the HIV/AIDS Commission does inform that a lot of what was being stated thirty years ago is still being said. That means that we have either forgotten that HIV and AIDS is still a threat, or we have not been adhering to the information which has been fed to us since the early 90’s. That means therefore that we must redouble the education on HIV and AIDS and sexually transmitted infections if we are to save the lives of our workplace and our families,” Deane said.

The participants were opened to an interactive session on Customer Service Excellence, conducted by Training & Development Officer at the Productivity Council, Karen Collins. The Deputy Director of the HIV/AIDS Commission Lynn Armstrong made a presentation on the National HIV/AIDS Programme in Barbados. (AH)

No one knows when a disaster will come calling. This message from Chairman of the St. James Central District Emergency Organisation (DEO), Selwyn Brooks, as he recently delivered his report at the organisation’s annual general meeting in the Queen’s College school hall.

Expressing concern about the level of complacency of many persons on the island, he warned that one day when a disaster hits many persons will be "caught napping”.

Brooks made the point that the Caribbean has already experienced increased activity and the threat looms of possible increased potential for tsunamis. “Our little island has not been severely impacted since 1955. Already this year our road fatalities have exceeded the total for 2016, and the Fire Service has reported an increase in fires compared to last year,” he reminded.

At the helm of the organisation since 2003, Brooks highlighted the extensive work carried out by the St. James Central DEO which he said has approximately 65 active members. These include the identification and location of fire hydrants to facilitate easy access by the Fire Service; evacuation of persons following the B’s Depot fire and several fires at the landfill and the creation of community profiles.

He also pointed to the establishment of the Holetown Strategic Planning Committee which brought together stakeholders from hotels, the medical and business sector as well as the RBPF, the Barbados Fire Service and the Drainage Unit. “This led to the development of a comprehensive study of the Holetown area and its hazards which included a pilot project where all fire hydrants, wells and drainage devices were located, identified and assessed and a maintenance programme was established,” he revealed.

Brooks highlighted one of the greatest achievements, however, as assisting in the development of the Lime Grove complex, a joint governmental, private sector committee established under the chairmanship of the then Minister of Public Works.

“After investigative trips throughout the water courses from the Holetown Lagoon to the water source as far up as Apes Hill and Porey Springs, and research of previously produced documents, several planning meetings were held, where a number of initiatives were implemented and the rest is history. Jamestown Park, Holetown and it environs no longer flood like they used to prior to 2003,” he stated.

The chairman used the opportunity to challenge Barbadians, particularly those in the parish of St. James to answer a number of questions as it relates to their state of readiness. This includes whether they are living in flood-prone areas; level of preparedness in the event of a major fire which includes the identification of fire hydrants which have been periodically checked and flushed to ensure they are in working condition.

Brooks also queried about the evacuation strategies; risk assessments for their specific location; levels of insurance coverage as well as challenges related to the prevention of criminal acts.

Given the challenges recently faced with the South Coast Sewerage Project, he also queried the plan of action if a similar scenario unfolded when the west coast problem comes on stream. (JH)

LaTanya Edwards, Tax Manager at Ernst and Young has also added her voice to the chorus of many and has agreed that we are facing very dire circumstances in Barbados.

While speaking last week at the Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) breakfast seminar, she remarked, “we need to retain some level of optimism, if we are going to get ourselves out of this, so whilst we can identify the challenges, we also need to identify the possible solutions. If we take it to a very simplistic level, reducing our expenses would be excellent of course, but is there anything we can do to increase the revenue of our government so we can do something about our economy in a positive way?”

One of the ways we have been hearing will help us increase revenue is tax... but what if our administration of tax was done differently? Is there anything we can do to make sure that the taxes that are due and payable currently, is there a way we can make sure that our administration collects the taxes that are due to the Government?

She pointed out, “in recent years we have been hearing from our Auditor General, situations where our revenue authority is not collecting all of the taxes due for various [reasons]. Chief among those are things like non-compliance, in some cases it is also tax evasion, and if we think about it on a global scale we have to do something about it. It is not only a problem Barbados faces. In 2010 the US took a hard stance against tax evasion and non-compliance and that is when they introduced FATCA. That was geared at encouraging United States citizens to pay their taxes that were due wherever they held accounts.

The OECD with conjunction with G20 and EU came up with the common reporting standard (CRS). The common reporting standard is an approach to ensure information is exchanged at a global level. We do that in Barbados through our double taxation treaties, but this is on request, though CRS seeks to make this information automatic.”

However, the Tax Manager warned, “one of the challenges Barbados is facing in adapting CRS – is time frame. This is already February, we are to begin reporting this year September and that means that the BRA will be automatically exchanging information with other jurisdictions. That has interesting scope for our financial institutions because we are still awaiting domestic regulations on CRS. Our institutions are still without the guidance they need to implement certain policies geared at making sure they gather the necessary information for reporting.

Therefore, if our competent authorities are exchanging information in September, then you would imagine that our financial institutions will need to provide that information in advance, but I have under good advisement that our regulations will be released soon, so we are hopeful that our financial institutions will be able to move swiftly along to make sure we are not in detriment when it comes to our early adoption stance.”

Edwards stressed, “your customers may be getting frustrated they have just come off of reporting to FATCA and now they have to give more information with CRS... .We of course want to encourage investors to come to Barbados and invest. We don’t want to frustrate them by these burdensome requirements for reporting, so maybe there is a way we can streamline the processes between FATCA and CRS. One of the chief concerns for the business community is that your customers don’t feel the process is confusing or burdensome. There may be a need that customers are fully aware, and the information they are asking from customers – they are not surprised as some of the information can be very detailed…”

African Awareness is still going strong at Charles F. Broome Memorial School.

Yesterday, decked out in their African garbs, students continued to learn about their African heritage while other schools ended their activities at the end of February.

“We want to make the children aware and be able to appreciate their African Heritage. So, during February we held several activities and will continue to celebrate our African Heritage,” Senior Teacher, Grace Wickham told The Barbados Advocate.

Wickham, who is also in-charge of the Black History Month committee said the students at Charles F. Broome conducted research on several people of African Heritage.

However, during the day they had the opportunity to view a display which comprised of African inventors and books authored by and about several outstanding black people, such as Barrack Obama and Oprah Winfrey and Condoleezza Rice. Professor Pedro Welch, retired Deputy Principal of the University of the West Indies, and former Dean, Faculty of Humanities and Education, also conducted an interactive session with the students.

Recognising that the achievements of black people are not to be underestimated, Professor Welch shared with students that the first person to develop blood transform was Dr, Charles Drew – a black man; the person who pioneered open heart surgery – Dr Daniel Hale – a black man; the fastest man on earth, Usain Bolt – a black man; etcetera.

“Across the world our people have been doing some wonderful things. So, you must never ever feel that there is something wrong with your colour or being African,” he expressed.

Professor Welch also pointed out that some everyday actions and words used by Barbadians come from Africa. To “Stupse,” he said, came from Africa – “to show your disgust or your amusement”.

“Did you know “wunna” is not Bajan? It is not broken English – it is African. It comes from an IGBO word – it means all of you,” he said.

On Tuesday February 28, 2017, Vice-Chancellor of The University of the West Indies (UWI), Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, was honoured with the internationally prestigious Amistad Award from Central Connecticut State University.

The presentation was made by President of the University, Dr. Zulma Toro, who spoke of the role played by Vice-Chancellor Beckles in international university leadership and in particular, public education in the Caribbean.

The award states that: “The Amistad Award is conferred in recognition of his outstanding contributions to historical knowledge and the struggle for human rights and social justice”.

In 1839 the Slave Ship "Amistad" arrived in the USA with 53 Africans. With the help of anti-slavery activists, and the legal advocacy of former President of the USA, John Quincy Adams, the captives were able to litigate to gain their freedom. A Federal Judge in the state of Connecticut ruled that they were illegally brought to the country and had a right to rebel against their captors. The trial of the Amistad 53 became the most famous law case in American history. The State, and its university, mark this historic moment and honour the men and women aboard the Amistad for the tenacity and courage in gaining their freedom.

In accepting the award, Vice-Chancellor Beckles thanked President Toro and the Amistad Committee for their collegial generosity and pledged his continued support for global civil rights and the quest for greater human dignity in the face of the corrosive challenges of everyday life.

Mayor of the City of Hartford in Connecticut, Luke Bronin also declared March 2nd, 2017 “Sir Hilary Beckles Day”.

The proclamation comes following a series of public engagements in the city by the Vice-Chancellor Beckles.

In reference to the honour, Mayor Bronin cited Vice-Chancellor Beckles’ “global service in the cause of to social justice, peace, and sustainable development”.

Eugene Melnyk has taken an active role in creating more awareness about organ donation.

The owner of the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club, who has called Barbados home since 1991, knows first-hand how difficult it is to get such a donation because he himself needed a liver transplant.

Melnyk recalled falling ill in January, 2015. He was referred to Dr Florence Wong at Toronto General Hospital to find out exactly what was wrong, and she ran a battery of tests.

“Two days later, in the middle of the night, I was awoken and told I need to be taken to the hospital immediately because tests revealed that my liver was failing. I was admitted to the hospital and told that I will need a full liver transplant,” he shared with The Barbados Advocate during a recent interview.

However, to get this vital organ, Melnyk was placed on a list for a deceased donor.

“Most people don’t realise that when a doctor tells you that you need a transplant, they put you on the list – the waiting list – and that wait can go on and on. The average wait for a liver is approximately 14 to 16 months. It is even longer for a kidney – you can wait eight to ten years, and that is in Ontario. That is what you are faced with,” he said, indicating that across Canada there is a very low rate of people donating their organs upon death.

“I was admitted to the hospital in mid-February. I went all of March, April into May, where every day the doctors said to me ‘sorry Euguene today is not our day, no organs are available’… In a deceased donor, they needed to have an exact match. I am AB Positive and ABs are one of the rarest of blood types – and no ABs were dying, therefore I wasn’t getting an organ. Actually, I only found out that when some of the doctors went home, they weren’t sure I would survive until the next morning.”
Melnyk’s medical condition quickly deteriorated as he continued to wait for the call that a donor liver was available.

With no other options left, his family and close friends urged him to allow them to make a public plea to find a live donor. However, up to that point he was extremely private about his illness.

The public appeal was made on his behalf at a news conference, with great assistance from the Senators.

More than 2 000 individuals responded to the call to donate part of their livers. Through examination, the 2 000 were trimmed to 200, and then 20. Less than a week later, an ideal match was identified from an anonymous donor.

“On May 19th, I thought it was going to be a typical day. I thought the doctors would say what they usually did – ‘Sorry, today is not our day’. But, they said ‘Eugene, it’s our day’…I was delighted, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing,” he recalled with a laugh.

Hours after, Melnyk had the 11- hour procedure that saved his life.

“God bless them,” he expressed.

The Organ Project
After a long recovery, the businessman is re-energised, healthier than he has been in years, and being so grateful for a second chance at life, he is hoping to help others seeking organ transplants.

“The anxiety comes from not knowing if you are going to get a liver, because you know the statistics are that 30 per cent of the people in line will die every year. There are 4 500 people on a waiting list in Canada. Those are the lucky ones that are at least on the list, because many people don’t even get on the list because they know it’s a false hope – they would not get the organ needed,” he explained.

In light of this, Melnyk founded “The Organ Project” in Canada, which aims to save lives by ending the organ transplant wait list.

It is believed that the one thing every single person in Canada can do is make sure that there are enough donors. Therefore, the Organ Project will work with the federal and provincial governments and organ transplantation agencies to make traditional registration easier, efficient and more accessible.

He explained to The Barbados Advocate that the liver, lungs, heart, kidneys, pancreas, small intestine, eyes, as well as tissues can be donated after a person has passed away .

“We have a website – theorganproject.net. Persons can register in less than two minutes in any of the provinces in Canada. If someone chooses to become a donor, they can select the box indicating the organ they are willing to donate, or select the “all” option, meaning all eight. Persons are never under an obligation to actually do this – they can take themselves off the registry as easily as they put themselves on. But, if they remain on, they must tell family members that they want their organs donated.

“When they become a donor, they are giving the gift of life to somebody else. We found in our research that people who have donated – it lessens their family’s mourning; lessens the grief. The reason for that is they take solace in the fact that their loved one has been able to live in multiple people,” he observed.

Additionally, the Organ Project will undertake campaigns to encourage a viral movement of organ donation awareness.

Melnyk revealed that a commercial and upgraded website will be launched on March 31, 2017 during The Organ Project inaugural Gala, which is aimed at raising proceeds for the initiative. This event will be held at the Fairmont Royal York, Toronto, featuring a performance by world-famous country singer Carrie Underwood and other special guests.

Looking ahead
“I am working towards having an international registration…It is a legislation I am hoping to introduce initially in Ontario, then eventually across Canada, the United States will follow right behind, as well as the rest of the world,” Melnyk disclosed, highlighting the “You’re in or You’re out” organ donation system, which is currently in approximately a dozen countries.

“It’s a system whereby if you’re not registered as a donor, don’t expect to be a recipient from a donor,” he explained.

Melnyk, who also has successful projects here on the island, believes that local surgeons can learn how to perform transplants.

“It’s now becoming a very commonplace procedure. Any good surgeon can learn very quickly,” he indicated, adding “They may not be able to do the more complex ones, but they certainly can do the liver, the kidney – it just takes training for them to do it.”

This is the concept local award-winning poet Dempstu “DJ Simmons” Simmons is encouraging children in Barbados to embrace as they reflect on their African heritage.

Speaking during a lunchtime lecture on the topic “Black is Beautiful”, at the Grand Salle yesterday, Simmons told the group of students that attended that their African history makes them beautiful and so does the colour of their skin.

He also asked them to refrain from laughing at any of their peers who may have darker skin tones.

“Please do not make fun and laugh at people because they have a darker skin tone than you do, that is not nice. We all have different skin tones and we must all embrace the skin tone we were born with. If someone is darker than you that does not mean that they are any less of a person that you, they are beautiful in their own unique way – as we all are,” he said.

The poet who advocates for Barbadians to embrace their African history through his creative pieces, also informed the students that the way they dance, the music they listen to, the way they talk and food they eat, are all influenced by their African culture.

“It is okay to express yourselves. We are a creative people. You may find that you might want to dance, you might want to sing, don’t hold it back, pursue it!” he urged.

“We have to remember the reasons why we are beautiful and a lot of that comes through art, it comes through rhythm and it comes through being expressive. Black people – got energy. Black people – naturally got this rhythm. People come from all over the world to see our culture, don’t ever think that, that ain’t true,” he added.

The lunchtime lecture coincided with the Mount Pisgah Spiritual Baptist church African Awareness Month exhibition which was held this week. (AH)