WHAT IS BAEH?
SRS Barbados reached out to BAEH (formerly The Barbados Vagrants and Homeless Society), which is charitable organization no. 794 registered under the Charity Act Cap.243 of the laws of Barbados. The stated purpose of BAEH is to provide comprehensive rehabilitative home-care, life skills, and self-esteem programs for the homeless across the entire length and breadth of Barbados. Additionally, BAEH provides several programs including:
- “At the Crossroads” (ATC), which is for house rehabilitation
- “On The Road Ministries” (ORM), for locating vagrants and the homeless
- “Direct Care Ministries” (DCM), which is a daily walk-in program
- Women & children housing shelter that focuses on keeping women and children off the streets
- Bi-annual Health Fairs, and weekly feedings.
Some of their daily services include food (hampers), daily breakfast, clothing, counselling, hair-cuts, baths, job attachment, classes, lounge area, and life/coping skills. BAEH presently assists close to 100 clients on a day-to-day basis and has successfully reintegrated a similar amount into main stream society since inception. Through our outreach, SRS has assisted in their drive to facilitate the purchase of physical headquarters located in the capital city, Bridgetown, for the benefit of these marginalized persons of Barbados. Through donations secured from each SRS staff member, which was matched by our company, we were able to make a contribution on behalf of SRS in support of this initiative.
DIRECT SUPPORT OF AT-RISK FAMILIES
The committee selected four (4) severely at risk families and provided specific assistance in the in the form of food hampers, especially in keeping during the holiday period of giving. The selectees included:
- An elderly lady with a debilitative disease that affects her mobility and brain function, but yet raising two grand-daughters (10 years old and 8 months old), with the younger child’s own mother having been diagnosed with a terminal illness during pregnancy.
- Another elderly old woman that is also unable to work due to mobility issues, but is caring for her elderly spouse who has dementia. For the past five years the elderly lady has also been raising a year old boy that was previously raised in a dysfunctional family. Since this change, it has been reported that has been doing well in his new environment, as well as in the wider community.
- A single mother with 3 children who works only part-time to support the household.
- An unemployed mother with 5 children in need of the very basic care and sustenance.
Suffice to say, we are all happy to have made on behalf of SRS, if only a small contribution in the immediate daily living of the affected persons. As a social outreach committee and office, we intend to use our platform to continue to impact our social constituency in a meaningful way. –Kirk Cyrus, Managing Director & Chairman of SRS Barbados
For more information on BAEH please check them out on LinkedIn HERE.
Contact:
Sandra St. Onge
Sandra.st.onge@strategicrisks.com
