LASCO Chin Foundation and partners seek to empower Caribbean women

The LASCO Chin Foundation (LCF) is collaborating with partners to ramp up efforts to equip mainly Caribbean women with the skills needed to effectively respond to COVID-related business challenges.

The Foundation recently celebrated the matriculation of its first cohort of trainees under its ‘Swift E-Skills’ Training Programme, launched in January of this year.

The collaborative pilot project was part of a Caribbean initiative simultaneously coordinated in Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago by the LCF in collaboration with the Institute of Law & Economics (ILE), Bridge Foundation, Trees that Feed Foundation, Environmental Health Foundation, and Operation Save Jamaica.

Twenty seven women and four men proudly received their certificates of completion and participation during official ceremonies held in April.

Graduates of the Jamaican cohort are Debbie Bascoe, Donna Barnes-Lisle, Joy Powell, Kamiesh Clarke, Brenda Mullings, Crescencia Mullings, Amanual Eccleston, Jacqueline Denton, Heather Lawrence, Dwayne Hinds, Adrianne Byran, Simone Dewar, Demar Wadgle, Shellisa Smith, Daniel Isree, April Anderson, Jody-Ann Brown, Erica Richards, Peta-Gaye Richards and Ashleigh Tyndale.

For Dwayne Guztmer, CEO of the ILE, the willingness and eagerness of the participants was heartening.

“Strengthening entrepreneurs across the island has been a key focus for us at the ILE. Our people are just bursting with ideas and potential,” Guztmer said.

“Programmes like Swift E-Skills, through the LASCO Chin Foundation, present the perfect opportunity to guide and unleash this potential, so it was a no brainer for us to lend our support,” he continued.

“The eagerness and willingness of the participants to absorb the information was truly heartening. What’s even better? They were able to utilise the information and apply it right off the bat.”

Under the Swift E-Skills programme, the promising entrepreneurs received training in video and audio production; e-marketing and entrepreneurship training as well as designing and implementing an e-marketing campaign for a new product – ‘Breadfruit Bulla’ – and other products.

Despite being initially hesitant, Donna Barnes-Lisle, entrepreneur and recipient for the ‘Most Outstanding Participant’, took a leap of faith and joined the training sessions.

“I came into the programme not knowing anything about marketing, but through encouragement from a church member I took a leap of faith. I’m happy I did,” Barnes-Lisle said.

“I have learnt so much and have started to apply these skills to my own business. I have proven to myself that, knowledge is truly key, and there’s nothing to lose from pushing yourself more.”

A self-taught baker for over 20 years, she is determined to continue building on her newfound skills.

Uniting the Caribbean 

Entrepreneurial empowerment programmes are urgently needed to rebuild businesses, generate income and strengthen families across the Caribbean, given the devastating impact of the COVID pandemic and Climate Change.

Professor Rosalea Hamilton, CEO of the LCF, firmly believes in uniting the power of the Caribbean to reap success for the region.

“Our individual efforts are but pebbles in an ocean of needs creating tiny ripples… but together we can be a solid ‘rock stone’ that starts a massive ripple, creating a giant wave that we ride together to change the currents in the ocean,” Hamilton said.

“That’s the possibility of real change that we can create together to empower women and their families across the Caribbean.”

The Swift E-Skills Training Programme featured face-to-face and online training, coaching, networking, and, importantly, Caribbean peer-to-peer learning and information sharing, which participants saw as “priceless” in strengthening Caribbean oneness.

Participants for the Swift E-Skills Programme were recruited through Zen Studios and Operation Save Jamaica.