The Shelter gets support from Sagicor

Sagicor said it is continuing the work it started in 2021, through its Protect Our Women campaign, with its Empower Her initiative. The project will support the needs of The Shelter for Battered Women and Children, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) dedicated to helping women move from being victims of domestic abuse to being survivors, a media release said.

Robert Trestrail, president and CEO Sagicor Life Inc, said in the release, “Our Protect Our Women campaign last year focused on supporting the frontline NGOs that advocate for women’s safety. We’ve expanded our programme to what is the logical next step: giving women the tools to support themselves and their families with occupations that will assist them in being self-sufficient and empowered.”

This year’s Empower Her programme is aligned with the United Nations’ (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and will support the NGOs to assist women in developing the technical skills and personal development training that will allow for self-sufficiency and entrepreneurship. The programme’s launch coincided with the UN’s annual 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign.

Sagicor is supporting The Shelter's new skills training workshop which will offer professional development in aesthetics. Once the three-week course is complete, Sagicor will fund start-up kits, so participants can immediately offer services and begin to earn an income, the release said.

Vice chair of The Shelter Sherron Harford said, “Sagicor and The Shelter have had a long-term partnership that has helped us provide our residents with the necessary support for them to be able to leave us and start a new life, secure, resilient and capable of being strong independent members of society. We look forward to a continued relationship and wish to thank Sagicor for their continued support.”

The Protect Our Women roll-out aimed to bring awareness and drive education on gender-based violence. Sagicor created a four-month campaign that directly supported four NGOs dedicated to the fight: the Rape Crisis Society of Trinidad and Tobago; The Shelter; Coalition Against Domestic Violence; and Families in Action, with $100,000 being donated to further their intervention programmes.