From left: Luc Patzelt, Human Rights Focal Point and EU Liaison Officer for Human Rights Defenders; The Hub Project Co-ordinator, Marjorie Riley; and Apostolic Administrator, the Most Rev. Charles Jason Gordon, engage in conversation following the launch of The Hub.
Over 100 households to benefit
Close to 150 households in Barbados are expected to benefit from The Hub.
This was revealed by The Hub Project Co-ordinator, Marjorie Riley, as she spoke during the launch of the programme, which took place at the Living Water Community Centre yesterday morning.
She revealed that with the help and funding of the European Union, they were expecting to achieve a significant number of objectives over the next three years.
“We hope to significantly improve the lives of the members of 150 Barbadian households through mentoring, education and developmental opportunities, and to assist them to be self-sufficient as well as have sustainable livelihoods,” she said.
Riley noted that The Hub had a plan to advocate for the enhancement of policies and strategies to positively impact the poor and the vulnerable within the society.
“In order to achieve these objectives, The Hub has expanded its capacity to conduct assessments of all persons seeking assistance, provide training and business advisory services, counsel persons in several areas including but not limited to family values, managing finances, self-worth and life skills; and mobilise additional resources and forge new alliances,” she said.
“We plan to participate in the national dialogue on matters relating to poverty alleviation policy changes and the implementation of these changes as well.”
Luc Patzelt, Human Rights Focal Point and EU Liaison Officer for Human Rights Defenders, praised the efforts of Riley and Apostolic Administrator, the Most Rev. Charles Jason Gordon, of which The Hub is his brainchild.
“Seeing you all here shows impressive commitment to strengthening civil society and achieving human rights for all, and human rights and civil society are key elements of the EU’s foreign policy and development activities,” he said.
“We value society as a crucial component of any democratic society and partner with civil society organisations because we believe that our relationship should not only be with governments, but also with the people that they represent.”
He believed that through partnership, there can be a real transformation in the lives of “the marginalised” in this region.