The Canadian Government has come to the assistance of three local organisations to the tune of EC $150,000.00 for their programmes.
The three beneficiaries are the Grand Roy Church Committee, Legal Aid and Counselling Clinic (LACC), and the Richmond Home for the Elderly.
The programmes of the organisations focus on the elderly and physically challenged, victims of domestic violence as well as batterers.
Canadian High Commissioner to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, David Marshall who was on hand to make the presentation spoke of his government's commitment in addressing some of the social and economic problems "facing our societies."
Marshall disclosed that the monetary presentations are from the High Commission's small project mechanism which is the Canadian Fund for Local Initiatives.
This fund is part of the budget of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), which is the main vehicle of Canada's official development assistance in the Caribbean and around the world.
Its mandate is to support sustainable development in developing countries in order to reduce poverty and contribute to a more secure, equitable and prosperous world.
The Canada fund primarily supports community groups and other Non Governmental Organisations to undertake small-scale projects which address CIDA's cross-cutting themes of poverty reduction, gender equality and environmental sustainability.
The Grand Roy Catholic Church Committee received EC $51,600.00
to renovate and extend the former priest's residence into a much needed community resource centre.
The contribution will cover thirty percent of the cost of the renovation.
The activities of the centre will include training, information and communication technology, and cultural and recreational community programmes, as well as serve as a hurricane shelter.
The project will be available to the entire community of Grand Roy, St. John's.
Legal Aid and Counselling Clinic project which received EC $79,567.00 provides support for the LACC's "Man to Man" Batterer Intervention Programme and its "Changes Counselling Programme" for female victims of domestic violence.
These two programmes aim to combat abuse in homes which is a major concern across the region.
The Richmond Home for the Elderly received EC $19,234.00 for the implementation of an occupational and recreational programme for the residents of the home who are both elderly and physically challenged.
The money will be used to purchase furniture, appliances, garden tools, games and craft supplies.
The programmes undertaken by the home focuses on activities such as craft making, games, dance and gardening.
