Barbados Women’s Team Captain Hayley Matthews (left) making the donation on behalf of her players and the Barbados Cricket Association to Minister of Elder Affairs and People Empowerment, Cynthia Forde.
A few more families in Barbados will be receiving a helping hand in
the form of vouchers as the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) made a
donation to the Ministry of Elder Affairs and People Empowerment.
With that ministry in charge of meting out assistance to some of the
most vulnerable households on the island, players from the national
women’s team were on hand to make the presentation to Minister Cynthia
Forde at the Warrens headquarters yesterday.
Speaking to members of the media prior to the handover, Minister Forde
said that she is pleased by the gesture and explained that it shows
that our nation’s people feel a strong commitment to helping each
other.
“It says that Barbadians are ready to reach out and touch and help and
save others who are impoverished, who are, in other ways, impacted
upon, not only because of COVID, which is a really terrible pandemic
that is enveloping the entire world, but of course persons who are in
the poverty line, especially women and children. And we know how hard
it is for women who are managing households, and I think it is a
wonderful idea for the women’s section of the Cricket Association to
want to reach out this morning and to be able to give back to some
people in this society who really need it now more than ever before,”
she said.
Noting that the current COVID-19 pandemic is a devastating event
unlike anything ever witnessed in this country by this generation,
Forde stated that it is important for all of us to remember the
‘shoulders we stood on’ in order for us to come this far and in turn
do our bit to ensure the future of good
citizenship.
“I am really very proud that you have been the recipients of the
platforms that have been set by our fore-parents, you have stood on
their shoulders and you now have decided, ‘We want to give back to the
country and to the society that has brought us thus far’.”
Having held her current post for the past two years, Minister Forde
said that she is grateful for the donation and took the opportunity to
pay tribute to staff and persons that were able to identify the
vulnerable households in Barbados.
“I want to say how proud we are to have been able to identify most
vulnerable households. When we started, the numbers were small – we
were targeting a 500 – and then we ended up with 2 000. And our social
workers, faith-based personnel, persons working in the public sector
like the postman and police officers have helped us to identify so
many of them who have been suffering. Therefore, today we are proud
that you have taken this opportunity to get some funds and to put them
in place that some of those vulnerable households can get food to
eat,” she said.
Disclosing only that it was ‘a couple thousand dollars worth of
vouchers’, the minister took the opportunity to urge other sporting
organisations as well as members of corporate Barbados to join the
fray with whatever they could offer to help make families comfortable.
Team Manager Betty Lewis and BCA Board Member, who revealed that the
initiative to raise funds came from one of the players and that the
amount raised was matched by the Board, said that they are happy to be
giving back, especially at this time, and that they are glad to be
part of the process.
“Everyone agreed that this would be the better option in terms of
reaching those families in Barbados who are really in need, so that is
why we’re here. The response was very good. Yes, I have a few players
from the West Indies team, but I have players in my team who are
students. I have players in my team who are unemployed. But everybody
decided to put something towards it and it made a great difference,”
Lewis said.
(MP)