Public, Gov’t pledges may keep Hope Foundation open

A ray of hope has appeared to keep the Hope Foundation open for lupus, sickle cell anaemia and arthritis patients and their families, its founder has told Barbados TODAY.

President Shelly Weir had warned late last year that the healthcare charity may have to cease operations owing to a substantial decline in government funding over the years. She said sharing the news of the foundation’s plight which was broken by Barbados TODAY on December 4 had been “very effective”, resulting in an outpouring of moral support. 

The response was tinged with emotions and expressions of gratitude, signalling to its founder the charity’s effectiveness over the last 33 years.

“Government is also looking into the matter, and I am optimistic about the outcome,” she declared. She did not elaborate.

“I feel that we are in a better position now than when we last spoke. So, I am optimistic about going forward . . . . I think that the message has gotten through as well, even further than what we spoke about before . . . .  

“The kind of things that we are doing, it would not be to the benefit of Barbados for us not to be operational now. The work that we are doing has reaped international praises and I think that people are now beginning to understand the extent of what we do . . . the impact of what we do has on the lives of people that we serve, how we are viewed outside. And I think that there might be some rethinking about how we are treated. But what I would say with a high degree of confidence is that the people that we served, we are not going to let them down.”

The healthcare advocate, who was diagnosed in 1990 with lupus, an inflammatory disease caused when the immune system attacks its own tissues, told Barbados TODAY: “In the last dark days, the kind of reaching out that we have had, the kind of sentiments that people have expressed, it has been uplifting for us.

“After [Barbados TODAY’s] article, people called me crying. People recounted for me how people have been helped personally . . . . I mean, things that I didn’t even remember, people recounted for me based on that article . . . and the tearfulness and all that really took me by surprise. I feel good within myself about what we do and to understand that people really get it, it was really humbling.”

Weir had raised the alarm after noting a consistent reduction in government support over the last three years. 

“This financial strain is severely impacting the foundation’s ability to continue its vital services and support for patients,” she said in December.

The foundation heavily relies on volunteers for initiatives aimed at advocating for its clients and raising public awareness about these diseases. 

Weir underscored the willingness of donors to support the organisation once government funding is secured. 

(EJ)