Business Barbados - 2023 Edition

schools after the first was completed at Sharon in St. Thomas. This was done in order to assist the Barbados Government in providing universal nursery education to students from ages 3 - 5. Three schools have been completed to date, The Maria Holder Nursery at Oldbury, The Maria Holder Nursery School Gall Hill, and The Maria Holder Nursery School Government Hill. The other three schools are currently in the planning stages. So as to complement the Schools, the Trust also funded the training for 76 Teachers with a postgraduate certificate in Early Childhood Education. Children The Sandy Lane Charitable Trust (established in 2005) has a singular mission, “helping the underprivileged children of Barbados” by whatever means necessary. Whether it is through health care, education or community programmes. The Trust spends US$2.5M per annum supporting these initiatives and investing in innovative capital projects, which include the Thelma Vaughn Respite Centre for severe brain- injured children, the Thrive Family Centre (the first purpose-built child psychiatric unit in Barbados), and the Sunshine School (a school for children with special needs from age 1-11). The Nightingale Children’s Village was created by the Barbados Children’s Trust (established in 1997 by Sue Magnier, Lady Carole Bamford, Yvonne Brewer and Sue Sangster), to provide a caring, safe and stable residential community for children under the age of 12, unable to live with their own families due to disability, addiction or family breakdown. With the generous support of the LesLois Shaw Foundation, The Centre for Global Child Health at The Hospital for Sick Children, the SickKids Foundation in Toronto and the Government of Barbados, the University of the West Indies and the Barbados Community College have launched a new partnership to positively impact the health and well-being of children in Barbados. Program activities are focused on elevating education, clinical care and research. Improving Life for the Deaf in Barbados The Calypso Project is an international collaboration providing growth, development, and engagement opportunities for the Deaf Community in Barbados. The aspiration is to encourage not only Barbadian community empowerment, but also provide inspiration to deaf people worldwide through the medium of music and visual arts. The genesis of this project can be attributed to Ken Carter of Decibels, a UK-based deaf charity. Calypso is the brainchild of Ruth Montgomery, a professional deaf flautist and the Creative Director of the UK-based charity Audiovisability. Ruth was introduced to the Barbados Deaf Community by Ken in January 2018. Over a 9-month period between March and November of 2022, the Bajan deaf community worked through practical training sessions in collaboration with internationally renowned deaf musicians and artists such as rapper Warren ‘Wawa’ Snipe ( https://diphopwawa.com) and US deaf songwriter, Sean Forbes ( https://www.deafandloud.com) . This practical element of the project has had a significant impact on the networks, organisations and individuals involved, ranging from the macro level of management to more personal aspects of deaf community members in Barbados gaining/retaining employment. For more information please go to www.thecalypsoproject.com Third Sector Ecosystem The Aspire Foundation (Barbados) Inc. (a local charity established in 2016) - with start-up support from The Maria Holder Memorial Trust, Michael and Jania Geoghegan, and The Peter & Jan Boos Family Foundation - works with charities and non-profits through its Incubator Programme to increase their operational effectiveness and to ensure sustainability. One of three nursery schools funded by Maria Holder Memorial Trust BUSINESS BARBADOS 2023 120