BPWCCUL sponsors two families under One Family Programme

The Barbados Public Workers Cooperative Credit Union Limited (BPWCCUL) has signed on as a sponsor of two families with the One Family Programme.

On Thursday, the credit union presented a cheque for $12 000 to Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs, Kirk Humphrey. The donation will aid two families, each comprising two adults and two children, through tailored support.

Speaking at their Belmont Road headquarters, BPWCCUL’s Community Relations Officer Stacy Mottley said the initiative goes beyond financial relief. “We are also sponsoring financial education workshops valued at over $1 000…budgeting, financial planning, and steps on how to get their life in order.”

May 15, International Day of Families, was a fitting moment to highlight the initiative’s reach.

Social development project manager of the One Family Programme, Nicole Daniel, described the mission of the programme, which began in October 2023, as being one of lifting Barbadian families out of poverty.

Daniel said the programme is currently sponsoring 110 of its 1 000 target families, but so far over 900 have benefited from using a multi-dimensional approach rooted in the seven pillars of support.

These include personal identification, health promotion, education and human resource development, family dynamics, housing, employment and income, and social benefits.

BPWCCUL’s Chief Marketing Officer Gail Niles-Best explained that the families selected demonstrated a strong desire to improve their circumstances. “They’re insisting on the education of the next generation, which I always believe is the only way out of poverty.”

She also encouraged other corporate sponsors to join the One Family Programme.

The Minister also encouraged individuals to contribute to the programme that seeks to help vulnerable families across the country.

Minister Humphrey provided background on the programme’s model, which draws from Chile’s Clemente Model and evolved into the ISEE Bridge—Identification, Stabilisation, Enablement, and Empowerment. The programme is designed to stabilise vulnerable households, equip them with skills, and help them achieve long-term self-sufficiency.

Humphrey emphasised the non-political nature of the programme. “It went from 250 to 1 000 families. The programme has a scientific basis and has survived three governments… .Families were chosen through a system using various matrices—there’s no political interference at all.”

He also addressed the stigma surrounding the term “welfare.”

“If you look at the etymology of the word, there was a time welfare was a positive word—it means well-being.”

Some beneficiaries, he said, associate the word “family” with trauma, highlighting the need to rebuild family structures. “Family, whether functionless or in conflict, is important… .We have to protect families.”

The ministry recently launched parental coaching and life coaching programmes to work directly with parents in high-risk communities. “We’re also working with the crime prevention programme to support families impacted by violence,” Humphrey added.

(LG)