Scotiabank, charity celebrate five-year partnership in empowering girls

Scotiabank and the non-profit I Am A Girl are celebrating five years of collaboration on a flagship programme that has provided vital support and life-changing opportunities to vulnerable teenage girls across Barbados.

Marking the milestone, Scotiabank has renewed its backing for the Adopt-A-Girl programme with a further $60 000 contribution, reinforcing its commitment to helping girls ages 15 to 18 overcome challenges and realise their academic and personal ambitions.

The initiative delivers an essential safety net, offering scholarships, learning tools, mental wellness services, and assistance with everyday needs such as food and hygiene, so that, as organisers say, “no girl is left behind due to circumstance”.

The impact since the partnership began has been considerable, with hundreds of girls benefitting from mentoring, resources and encouragement to remain in education and excel. The scheme is described as a catalyst for change — not only in the lives of its direct recipients, but within their families and communities as well.

The bank’s support goes beyond financing, with Scotiabank staff actively participating as mentors and capacity-builders through the Empower Employee Resource Group. Team members have been directly involved in delivering workshops on leadership, financial literacy, career coaching, and interview skills, consistently offering themselves as positive role models.

Alian Ollivierre, executive director and founder of I Am A Girl, reflected on the journey: “To be able to collaborate in a way that truly centres our girls and reflects what meaningful partnership looks like has exceeded our expectations. Together, we’ve not only deepened impact but created measurable change — from mentoring and upskilling more than 360 girls for life beyond secondary school, to providing small grants to 27 young women and ensuring 174 had access to their most basic needs. This is what partnership in action looks like.”

Suzette Armoogam-Shah, managing director of Scotiabank Barbados, added: “We are honoured to celebrate five years of meaningful impact with I Am A Girl. This partnership is about more than giving, it is about growing.

Watching these young women rise, discover their strength, and pursue their dreams has been inspiring. Our employees are proud to be part of their journey, and we remain committed to helping them build bright, successful futures.”

(PR)