Saturday, February 4 2012

THE Ministry of Gender Affairs, Youth and Child Development and the Toco Foundation have signed a memorandum of understanding for funding to execute the foundation’s “Gatekeeper” programme in Santa Cruz and Diego Martin.

The Gatekeeper programme assists mainly underprivileged young men between the ages of 17 and 29 years through education and training to become productive citizens, and leaders in their communities.

The signing, paves the way for an annual $3M grant over the next three years, took place yesterday at the Ministry of Gender, Youth and Child Development at Tower D, International Waterfront, Port-of-Spain.

Permanent Secretary Sandra Jones signed on the Ministry’s behalf while project director of the Toco Foundation Michael Als signed for the foundation. According to Als, the Gatekeeper programme which has had some success over the past six years in Sangre Grande, will be extended to include Upper and Lower Santa Cruz and Covigne Road in Diego Martin. Beyond education and training, Als said some of the young men who have passed through the Gatekeeper programme have formed four companies and are bidding for jobs on the open market.