From left: Trustees of the Sandy Lane Charitable Trust Julian Sacher, John Lodge, Pip Challis and Derrick Smith, Grand Patron speaking to the media at the annual Charity Auction and Dinner.
Guests enjoying the Sandy Lane Charitable Trust Annual Charity Dinner at the Country Club.
Bureaucracy affecting charitable work
Tue, 01/24/2017 - 12:00am
There is a lot of bureaucracy in the system says Derrick Smith, the Grand Patron of The Sandy Lane Charitable Trust (SLCT).
While speaking to the media last week at the Sandy Lane Charitable Trust Annual Charity Auction & Dinner at the Country Club at Sandy Lane, he contended, “We raise the money but it is hard to spend the money because of the bureaucracy within government.”
The trustees revealed to date the SLCT has dispersed over four million dollars to fund multiple cases, whether it is educational, medical or community based initiatives.
Pip Challis, one of the trustees highlighted it is all about the children of Barbados –≠ the future, “The Sandy Lane Charitable Trust has been around for over 13 years, yet most Barbados do not know just how many underprivileged lives the trust has changed.
The trust while it supports many individual cases, mainly focus its efforts on far reaching programmes, working closely with community partners to try and make a difference to as many children’s lives as possible.
“It is important to note that 100 percent of the funds raised by the Trust go to the development of underprivileged children in Barbados. The payment of salaries and expenses are covered by its grand patron to ensure that every penny raised goes towards those who need it most.”
New Project Underway
The trustees are also working towards a new project, Smith stated the most recent venture the charity is embarking upon is the development of a new Psychiatric Children’s Centre. The trustees explained, “Children are currently housed in the adult wards of the Psychiatric Hospital. This is clearly unacceptable as the children not only have emotional and psychological challenges of their illness and being away from home, but the fear of being placed with unknown adults with more severe mental issues.”
The SLCT is looking to build a new child friendly facility in a secluded corner of the Hospital, providing an environment that children and families can learn, understand and improve on their medical conditions and mental health.
“The SLCT wants to make a difference to the lives of Barbadian children in need because they cannot make the first step alone.” (NB)