Sagicor joins fight to ‘Keep Hope Alive’

In their pursuit of being able to live a relatively normal life, Barbadians suffering from lupus, sickle cell and arthritis have been benefitting from the tremendous and selfless assistance provided to them by the Hope Foundation. However, the 30-year-old, non-governmental organisation has been faced with significant financial challenges in recent years that have threatened their very existence.

Like many other charitable organisations and businesses, the financial position of the Foundation has been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has made it difficult for them to carry out their various initiatives and programmes, all of which are geared towards assisting lupus, sickle cell and arthritis sufferers manage their conditions.

In response to this challenge, the Foundation this year launched “Keeping Hope Alive – 30 for 30”, inviting corporate Barbados and the general public to donate at least $1 for each of the 30 years of existence of the foundation, in an effort to ensure they can continue to provide support to the many Barbadians affected by these illnesses.

Sagicor recently showcased its commitment to assisting the Foundation by making a donation of a more substantial contribution to the fund-raising drive, which builds on what was received from the leading insurance company in late 2020.

“Sagicor has been instrumental in delivering some assistance to provide for those affected by these conditions, which can be quite debilitating. Late last year, Sagicor came onboard to finance the provision of Lupus Essential Kits, which seek to minimise the hospitalisation of lupus patients by facilitating self-management,” said Shelly Weir, President of the Hope Foundation.

Each kit consists of a thermometer, blood pressure machine and urine testing strips, thereby allowing patients the ability to monitor their condition at home and log their data via an electronic medical record, which is in turn monitored by doctors.

“Based on the data recorded, doctors can track the condition of a patient and thereby be proactive if it is trending in a negative direction. I am happy to say that we have been able to distribute 60 kits thus far on a priority basis, starting with the most ill patients at the time of distribution, and this has resulted in zero hospitalisations and deaths from among those 60 individuals”, added Weir.

Speaking on the continued assistance of Sagicor to the Hope Foundation, Assistant Vice President of Marketing, Carolyn Shepherd, said, “More than ever before, organisations such as Hope need donations from not just corporate Barbados, but ordinary folks who want to make a real difference in the lives of others. They need our help in order to keep supporting individuals who cannot make it alone. As a health insurer we see first-hand the impact of such conditions on the quality of life and finances of sufferers. So wherever possible, we make an effort to support organisations who assist these individuals, to give them the greatest chance of positive outcomes when managing their health.”