Soroptimist club lends helping hand to vulnerable women and their families

Fifty families whose financial situations were thrown into peril by
the COVID-19 pandemic, received assistance from the Soroptimist
International of Barbados (SIB) club recently.

The club purchased $5000 in groceries and supplies to assist families
led by non-national women suspected to be former victims of human
trafficking. The donation followed through on a commitment made under
the club’s Immediate Past President, Lisa Toppin-Corbin, which she
announced at the club’s Annual General Meeting in April.

She said, “What is clear is that before, during and after this …
pandemic, women and girls will continue to need assistance and support
from organisations such as ours.”

The women’s plight was brought to public attention by anti human
trafficking specialist Dr Olivia Smith, who shared in the press that
they had lost jobs due the impact of the pandemic and were essentially
stranded in Barbados with little in the way of family support systems
here.

During the height of the pandemic restrictions, her group – the
Caribbean Anti Human Trafficking Project – identified 55 women and 40
children who were in desperate need.

SIB sprung into action to assist, purchasing 100 pre-packaged grocery
bags from Popular Discount and working with the retailer to customise
the bags for women by replacing some of the items with feminine care
products.

President of SIB, Krystle Maynard, noted that anti human trafficking
advocacy is a focus area for the club both locally and globally, with
much of their work coming under their Purple Teardrop campaign.

“When we saw this story, as a club, we felt compelled to help. From
our Purple Teardrop work, we are well aware of how financial
difficulty can make women vulnerable to human trafficking attempts. So
we had to do our part to ensure that these women and their families
could be fed and safe,” she stated.