Five northern homes to get much-needed repairs

Five families in the north of the island will have a long-held Christmas wish fulfilled this year, as a new home improvement programme gets underway to repair and retrofit houses damaged by recent disasters.

The ‘From Our Home to Yours’ initiative was launched recently by Canadian construction firm Aecon in partnership with the Department of Emergency Management (DEM), the Rural and Urban Development Commission (RUDC) and Haigh Communications.

The pilot phase will see five homes in the north repaired, with work expected to begin in the latter part of December and completed early next year.

Human resource business partner at Aecon, Sonja Knight, said the programme emerged out of reflection following widespread flooding and damage across the island three weeks ago.

“At Aecon, we pride ourselves on leaving the communities in which we work better than we found them and this project is a reflection of that commitment,” Knight said.

“As a team, we brainstormed with Haigh Communications sustainable ways to support our surrounding communities, especially after the major flooding and damage we saw across the island three weeks ago. From that process, this idea was born. We are builders, and building is how we have decided to give back.”

Knight explained that the programme was driven by a desire to contribute in a practical and meaningful way. “From Our Home to Yours thus was birthed from a genuine desire to contribute meaningfully. This pilot phase is being rolled out in the northern part of the island with work expected to begin in the latter part of December,” she said, adding that with the support of the DEM, RUDC and Haigh Communications, homes would be “selected, fully vetted, costed, and specific needs identified”.

She also noted that Aecon’s on-island workforce had committed to volunteering their time and expertise to support the effort.

Talent acquisition coordinator at Aecon, Zakiyah Haynes, outlined the company’s regional footprint and values, noting that the firm had been operating for more than 150 years across several sectors, including industrial, utilities and civil infrastructure, and had been active in the Caribbean for the past eight years.

She said Aecon’s emphasis on integrity, accountability, inclusion and safety underpinned its approach to corporate social responsibility, with a clear aim of leaving communities “in a more advantageous position” through initiatives tailored to pressing local needs.

Director of the DEM, Kerry Hinds, welcomed the programme, describing it as timely and complementary to Government’s disaster recovery efforts.

“Aecon should be congratulated for pursuing this pilot program, which seeks to bring joy and relief to households in the north that were previously impacted by disaster events such as Hurricane Beryl [2024], Tropical Storm Brett [2023], Elsa [2021] or any of the more small scale events that occurred over recent years,” she said.

Hinds added that the initiative would “definitely serve to augment the government’s programme” and expressed hope that it could be replicated and sustained over the long term.

Acting chief executive officer of the RUDC, Russell Armstrong, said the demand for housing assistance continued to grow, with dozens of new clients seeking help each month.

“It is indeed a pleasure to see companies like Aecon come on board and Hague Communications to assist Barbadians in, you know, just improving their housing conditions…” he said.

“Any response like this that we could get from corporate Barbados to really assist in putting a dent in that number is really appreciated.”

Joyann Haigh of Haigh Communications, described the programme as a heartfelt gesture that would bring cheer and joy to families who were not in a position to help themselves.

She too also called on corporate Barbados to support the initiative in future years, stressing that continued partnership would be key to keeping the programme alive and expanding its reach across the island.

(SZB)