Charities and philanthropic organisations in this island are being forced to adapt to significant issues being brought to the fore by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Program Development Co-ordinator for the Barbados Public Workers’ Co-operative Credit Union’s Legacy Foundation, Hanif Moore, said the facility successfully launched three projects to the tune of over $150,000 to assist Barbadians who “really needed that additional support during the pandemic”.
“What we found is that the pandemic highlighted some significant issues when we were forced to adapt in the last few months to address the needs that we didn’t previously catered for,” he said.
Speaking during the Invest Barbados hosted ‘We Gathering Virtually to Explore the Financial Investment Opportunities available to the Diaspora’ webinar held yesterday afternoon, he revealed that so far the fund has approved 23 projects, and invested $1 million in the funding of these.
Moore identified two of the key projects were conducted at the island’s main medical facility – the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, while others were done at the St. Leonard’s Boys’ School with the creation of a music studio, and a lab and standalone computer resource lab at the Charles F. Broome Primary School.
“For 2020 and beyond, we are looking to grow the Foundation’s donor base and this is where we appeal to members of the diaspora,” he said, noting marketing drives were conducted in Atlanta and Toronto to encourage the diaspora to invest in such endeavours.
“We want to increase the number of successful applicants. There is a challenge in people finding us, so we want to build awareness of the Foundation and we hope to do that through the diaspora as well and to strengthen the links of the Foundation and all of the group companies,” Moore stated, stressing the importance of working together for the betterment of the island. (JMB)