The One Family Programme has launched a partnership with HNI Foundation Inc., the non-profit arm of Healthier Nation Initiative Inc. (HNI), to ensure good health is accessible to all, regardless of socioeconomic status. Supported by the Massy Foundation, this mission is looking to make significant strides in improving the health of Barbadians across local communities.

The first joint event in a planned series featured a medical team from Ross University and was held at the Church of God, Chelsea Road, Bayland, St. Michael. It provided health checks to a steady stream of clients and recorded their information for evaluation and follow-up. Clients attending the free health clinics are also granted access to the HNI exercise portal via the website https://hnicaribbean.com.

One Family’s Project Officer for Health and Housing, Rondell Trim, said ensuring optimum access to health care was a key pillar underpinning One Family’s mission and a good fit with partners like HNI and Massy Foundation.

“A key pillar underpinning the One Family mission is health. We cater to clients across Barbados who can benefit from access to medical care and support for a healthy lifestyle, and this collaboration ensures that we can bring that medical care into the community. This helps us to eliminate barriers like lack of transportation and mobility issues,” Trim said. He added that One Family sought to deploy additional mobile clinics that could go directly to homes to serve those who couldn’t afford basic medical care and faced barriers to accessing public care.

Sheldon Jones, co-founder and CEO of Healthier Nation Initiative Inc. and Chairman and director of the non-profit HNI Foundation Inc., said the goal was to make healthcare more affordable and healthy lifestyles accessible for people in Barbados and across the Caribbean regardless of their socio-economic status or resources. He said HNI was established in 2020, followed by the HNI Foundation in 2023, to make health care and healthy lifestyles practical, accessible, and sustainable.

“Our core belief is that health should not be tied to economics, so while HNI was focused on cost reduction, we established the Foundation to focus on outreach to communities. One Family knows where the needs are, and their partnership strengthens our community focus.”

“We are also grateful for the support of the Massy Foundation, which, beginning in 2024, committed to over BBD. $80,000 in funding to provide nutritional verified meal bundles to eligible clients to support the diet and nutritional aspects of their health transformation.”

Gillian Corbin, Project Administrator with Massy Foundation (Barbados) Inc., the charitable arm of Massy Stores, Massy Distribution, and Price Lo Supermarket, said they were pleased to address concerns about the impact of poor diet and nutrition on the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), particularly among the youth.

“Health and the environment are a principal focus of the Massy Foundation, and NCD intervention is critical. HNI’s programme working with Ross University and One Family also speaks to our core values of love and care, collaboration, and continuous improvement,” Corbin said. (PR)

A groundbreaking initiative, aimed at enhancing support for the elderly, was officially launched on March 24, by the Samuel Jackman Prescod Institute of Technology (SJPI), in collaboration with the Ministry of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs (MPEA).

Dubbed the “Care of the Older Adult in the Community” course, it was launched at the Lester Vaughan School Auditorium. This initiative seeks to empower caregivers, dedicated to serving the island’s senior citizens.

Special Adviser on the Elderly, Cynthia Forde, addressing the audience, emphasised the important role of eldercare companions and encouraged attendees to utilise the opportunity to refine their skills.

“The taxpayers’ money is paying you to deliver these services. We expect you to come up to scratch to ensure that our seniors are comfortable in the best way you can do it,” Ms. Forde stated.

While lauding their work, she articulated the need for caregivers to continue evolving.  “We want this section of our society to feel strengthened and know that they are cared for, that we love them, and that we will continue to serve them. I commend you all for accepting this position, but it’s important not to stagnate.

“You are the first in this programme, and you don’t have to be the last. When you complete your training, there is an extension of your programme that can allow you to be drafted into the same SJPI, where you can pursue an auxiliary nursing course. This is essential if you wish to function in other capacities within the National Assistance Board, or if you aspire to become a nurse,” she said.

The SJPI programme, which is set to support an initial cohort of 420 Eldercare Companions, has plans for expansion to meet the growing demand for elder care services, as Barbados grapples with a rapidly ageing population.

Meanwhile, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs, Jehu Wiltshire, highlighting the urgent need for enhanced caregiver support, said: “Currently, approximately 20 per cent of the population is over the age of 60, and by 2050, that figure is expected to rise to over 50 per cent.”

And, he warned: “This is a ticking time bomb. If we do not take action now to establish systems to address this issue, we will face significant challenges in this country.”

Mr. Wiltshire also outlined plans by the MPEA to create daycare and residential facilities for the elderly in every parish, beginning with St. Philip.  Offering the rationale for this, he said: “We want to ensure that we approach elder care with heart and understanding. These qualities are essential as we move forward in our mission.”

Deputy Principal of the SJPI, Brenda Osbourne, echoing similar sentiments on the importance of education for caregivers, urged them to give of their best. 

She added: “Although your classes will be conducted at the Lester Vaughan School, I assure you, you are a student of the Samuel Jackman Prescod Institute of Technology…. I implore you to foster relationships with each other and share knowledge openly. With a 100 per cent pass rate, we would all be winners.”

One of the participants, Joan Brathwaite, who expressed optimism about the programme and shared her desire to better care for the elderly community, said: “I am truly grateful for this opportunity to enhance my skills in caring for our seniors.”

Spanning over 14 weeks, the course is entirely funded by the Ministry.  It is designed not only to boost participants’ skills but also to foster a compassionate environment for Barbados’ ageing population. (PR/GIS)

The construction of the Afreximbank African Trade Centre at Jemmotts Lane, St. Michael, on approximately two hectares of land, is expected to cost over BDS $360 million, and bring about 1,000 jobs.

Additionally, the bank has pledged $7 million to be placed in the soon-to-be established Urban Transformation Fund to improve housing in the environs of Jemmotts Lane.

These details were disclosed on Monday during the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the bank’s office block and hotel complex.

Speaking during the ceremony, Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley revealed that the Hyatt Hotel will also be contributing BDS $2 million to the fund.

“In addition to the construction of the buildings and the investment of $360 million Barbados dollars, you have put on the table also a commitment, which you discussed with me only today, of $3.5 million US dollars or $7 million Barbados dollars to be placed in the soon to be established Urban Transformation Fund that will allow those who live in the shadows of this site, to be able to have a better life for their families. Urban transformation is not only about buildings, but that is where it must start,” Ms. Mottley stressed.

She also stated that she was “cognisant of the history of the site”, which previously housed the old Geriatric Hospital, built for emancipated slaves and opened in 1844; the old Ministry of Health Complex; and the Ministry of Education, among others.

It is for this reason, the Prime Minister proffered: “My Government stands proud here today to be able to bring into the pantheon of financial institutions in this country, the Afreximbank, not simply as an entity that is leasing a building from somebody for an office but that as someone who is now about to lay roots and foundation in this country, the first outside of the continent of Africa. 

“In so doing, we send the signal that we intend to be able to reclaim our Atlantic destiny in ways that allow us not simply to look north, but to continue to look east, west and south.”

Ms. Mottley stressed that the site, the focal point for tending to “sick bodies” in 1844, would soon be the place for those “who need prosperity in the Americas from this site here in Bridgetown”.

“And I, therefore, Professor Oramah, ask you to accept, on behalf of the Afreximbank, this clear offer of the Government of Barbados to make available this just over two hectares of land, to ensure that an investment that will bring jobs to the people of Barbados…, that will bring foreign exchange…, that will bring investment opportunities to the people of the region….

“This is first and foremost also a trade centre that you so accepted, recognising that the history of the site and the location of the site carries with it so much more than we can ever contain in his speech from this platform,” she contended.

Ms. Mottley gave the assurance that the building’s location within a UNESCO World Heritage Site would be considered during the construction phase of the project, which should take approximately 30 months.

Meanwhile, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Afreximbank, Professor Benedict Oramah, said the African Trade Centre “underpinned” the delivery of the bank’s expanded ambitions within CARICOM that included improving two-way trade between the region and the African continent.

There were also remarks from the Prime Minister of Grenada, Dickon Mitchell, and other officials. Spoken Word artiste, Adrian Greene; Dancin’ Africa; and the Hasynesville Youth Club provided the entertainment for the evening’s proceedings. (PR/GIS)