Making a difference . . . Republic Bank donates to charitable organisations

One school and five organisations that are making a difference in the lives of Barbadians were recently given a financial boost as well as other tangible assistance in carrying out their work.

Republic Bank (Barbados) Limited, through its Power to Make a Difference, or PMAD, programme, made donations to the St. Ambrose Primary School, SickKids Caribbean, Transplant Links, Jabez House, Barbados Adventure Race and the Diabetes Association of Barbados.

As he addressed the presentation ceremony, Chief Executive Officer of Republic Bank’s Barbados operations Anthony Clerk said, “PMAD was born out of the idea that we are our brothers’ keepers, so to just focus solely on banking would be to fall short of this ideal. We believe banks should use their resources and expertise to help address the social concerns and cares of our societies. PMAD is divided into three pillars: the power to care, which looks at health and poverty alleviation; the power to succeed, which embraces sports, entrepreneurship and care of the environment; and the power to learn, which captures youth empowerment through education, culture and the arts.”

Clerk outlined some of the work the bank has done through the programme thus far, which it executes throughout the territories in which it operates as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility activities. “PMAD uses a particular theme for five years, and our current one is Creating Alternative Futures, and we have kept this in mind in choosing the initiatives we invest in, such as youth development at primary, secondary and tertiary level, in assisting health care institutions and organisations dealing with different aspects of health care, as well as empowering people who may have experienced challenging times in their lives.”

One of the trustees of Jabez House, Anderson Rice, said his organisation helps sex workers leave that lifestyle and become self sufficient. “We started seven years ago and we offer courses free of cost in areas such as cosmetology, hair technology, and cake making, which our clients can use to generate income and become self sufficient away from the sex work. Jabez House has reached out to 400 sex workers and many of them have left that business, and it also provides psychosocial support, food, sexual and reproductive health counselling and in some cases housing.” Republic Bank has assisted them in terms of providing learning tools and equipment.

Meanwhile, Principal of the St. Ambrose Primary School in Bridgetown, Jean Trotman, stated that the bank had repaired their play park as well as contributed in other ways to assist the 114 students at the school.

In terms of health, Republic Bank has contributed to SickKids Caribbean, which trains Caribbean nurses in haematology and oncology specifically to work with paediatric cancer patients; and it sponsored the Diabetes Association of Barbados’ Youth Ambassador, Melissa Goodman’s recent trip to a Youth Diabetes international conference in Busan, South Korea. It is also working with fitness expert George Griffith’s new venture, Barbados Adventure Race, which Clerk described as “a corporate initiative that has created a friendly rivalry and spirit of camaraderie while promoting a healthy lifestyle as staff are encouraged to get into the gym and train to do battle on an obstacle course in St. John.” The bank also supports Transplant Links, which has helped several Barbadians secure kidney transplants.

Clerk said the PMAD initiative is a transformative one for both bank staff and the organisations that have benefited thus far. “One of its most wonderful aspects is that all of us at Republic Bank who work closely with it are transforming into better corporate citizens, neighbours and people. One act of generosity can propel someone to a brighter future, and once you see this, you can’t take things for granted and you will want to do more. Our record is one we hold dear, we remain committed to all of you to do more.” (DH)