Call for more back-to-school support for vulnerable children

The Ministry of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs is calling on Barbadians to give more support to its One Family Programme as it pushes to provide school supplies for vulnerable children ahead of the new term.

Speaking at a press briefing today at the ministry’s Warrens, St Michael headquarters, Minister Kirk Humphrey thanked the public for its generosity but stressed that the need remained great.

“I want to begin first of all by just saying a very big thank you to all of Barbados for the way [they] stepped up to lend support to this programme and of course to encourage Barbadians to continue to support this programme,” he said.

Humphrey noted that while 136 students who recently sat the 11-plus have already received back-to-school assistance, “there are 1 500 persons who are in need of support and we are asking Barbadians to help us get to those other 1 500 people… I’m thankful for what has been done and I just know that we can do a little bit better.”

He urged families shopping for their children to support the “Buy Two, Give One” campaign at Pages in Cave Shepherd and Bryden’s in Norman Centre.

Social development project manager of the One Family Programme Nicole Daniel said with less than two weeks before school reopens, the focus was on getting supplies into the hands of those most in need. “No donation is too small… You can just bring a pencil, bring a pencil case, bring a sharpener, bring a rubber, anything.”

The Lions Club of St Michael has also partnered with the ministry. President Irvin Small said: “Our motto for this year is ‘If no one reaches, no one gets touched’.” (SZB)